Friday, 14 August 2015
NO FREE LUNCH IN FREE TOWN
Monday, 21 January 2013
The Mind of a Champion
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Tony Egba, Ceo, RichLife Centre
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Today is the 22nd days of January and this is my RA-D22 to you.
The year is just few days old! You can achieve all of your goals this year. Let us roll up our sleeves and go to work.
Today’s article is a little bit lengthy but I want you to take your time to enjoy it!
The mind:
When the mind is working, it usually operates in one of three states;
· The past,
· The present and
· The future.
Today I want to ask you one question about each:
Looking back at your past, can you honestly say that you have leveraged every single experience to your benefit?
Looking at the present, are you completely satisfied with your life as it is right now?
Looking at the future, are you confident that things will only get better?
If you answered anything other than an "Absolute Yes" to any one of these questions then we have to talk and I want you to please pay attention to what I have to say to you this 22 day of January 2013!.
What I'm about to share with you is the reason why your past may be holding you back, your present life is not everything you want it to be and what you can do about it so that the immediate future turns out to be everything you've ever wanted and more.
My name is Tony Egba and for the past 20 years of my life I have been helping people from all over the world achieve positive lasting change in their lives. What enables me to help people is not the fact that I am super-talented, gifted or blessed with some unique quality that no one else on the planet has.
I am all I am by the grace of God!
I was opportune to be exposed to great mentors early in life and their works, words, books and experiences have helped me immensely and I have derived tremendous joy and blessing in sharing what I have learn with my brothers and sisters.
When one of my friends asked me online yesterday what do I do for a living and I answered her that I am a professional student, she laughed and probably she didn’t believe me.
As a matter of fact, I spent half of my day everyday to learn one or two new things about how to live a successful life and I am always eager to pass such knowledge across.
I want to say at this point that I am not the source of these knowledge I am just a conduit to help keep them flowing to other people.
I am just a messenger bearing the message so the honour and glory of all these messages actually belong to the owner of the work our father the creator of the universe the all knowing GOD! Give praise to his Holy Name!
You see, many years ago I found myself extremely unfulfilled and unhappy even though I was earning a significant six figure a year income running my own Engineering practice. While I had achieved most of the goals that I set out including graduating from university with degrees and owning and operating a successful business, I was still left with a void inside and I knew I was meant to do something more rewarding with my life.
The problem was that even though I was succeeding financially, I was no feeling very fulfilling.
While the meaning of success varies from person to person, in its truest form, success consists of being completely happy and at peace;
· Spiritually,
· Emotionally,
· Physically,
· Financially
· Mentally and
· Marritally
If any of those elements are missing, you will experience what I call a spiritual imbalance.
And when it happens, you will forever feel a void within that can begin affecting you in more ways than you imagine.
This Spiritual Imbalance Is Literally What Separates Those Who Live the Life of Their Dreams from Those Who Work Hard, Pay Their Dues and Still Experience Failure.
I'm sure you can relate to what I'm saying. Have you ever noticed how some people can smoke virtually their entire life and live to be 90 whereas others get diseases like cancer and die before they reach 40? ( I am not recommending smoking!)
Have you ever noticed that sometimes when a virus like the flu breaks out that some people never get infected even if they never get vaccinated while others are easily susceptible to any ailment even when they take the right precautionary steps?
(I am not talking about bird flu O because when we dey young when chicken dey sick my mama go ask us make we killam and that na Christmas before December in our house!)
The reason for this has to with something called cellular (internal) memory. Cellular memory (as the name implies) is basically the memory that resides inside the cells within the body.
That's right; every single cells in your body actually has a memory of its own. Each of the cells within the body actually stores reserves of information related to past experiences (both positive and negative) within their memory.
The Problem Is That When a Cell Decides To Store A Memory From A Negative Experience, It Will Form A Block For Future Related Experiences.
This is often the reason why someone who beats cancer will experience a relapse. The same is true of those who suffer from addiction or any other type of disease. What's really occurring is a relapse of memory within the cell that is causing the body to react in a certain way.
This truth applies to every aspect of your life in both the physical and metaphysical world; meaning it can affect your body directly in the form of sickness or disease as well as metaphysically through things you attract like relationships or wealth.
This Means That If You Are Experiencing Undesired Results in Any Aspect of Your Life (No Matter How Hard You Try) Chances Are It's Because Your Cellular Memory Is Holding You Back.
One of the most prominent ways that negative cellular memory in the mind manifests itself is through low self esteem.
Low self esteem can affect virtually every area of your life including your:
· relationships
· finances,
· health, and
· career
And what's even more alarming is that many people don't even realize that they have this problem.
They falsely assume that low self esteem means they are in a constant state of depression or saddened mood.
In Reality, people Could Be Living Life – In What They Believe To Be Complete Happiness Except For The Fact That They Seem To Struggle Or Have What They Consider To Be "Bad Luck" In A Particular Area.
There is that one area of people’s lives that they just can't seem to hold down the way they want.
It could be;
· their finances,
· their weight,
· their relationship
· status or
· other things.
And when this happens, the result is the spiritual imbalance that I spoke of earlier which causes a feeling of helplessness or failure that resides over them like a dark cloud no matter how successful they are in other aspects of life.
This is often why we see people who seem to "have it all" like Hollywood celebrities for example are constantly ruining their lives through the use of drugs, alcohol or anything else that they feel will mask the pain represented by the imbalance.
Haven't you ever come across a person who in your mind has everything anyone could ever ask for – but feels unfulfilled or as though they are a failure?
Most of the time we see people like this and can't understand how they could feel like failures with what they have achieved in life - be it;
· fame,
· fortune,
· stardom,
· wealth,
· position
· etc.
And the truth is that no matter how hard you try, you will never understand how they feel; just as the majority of people out there can't relate to how you feel because the cellular memory for each of us is drastically different.
So let me ask you; is there a part (or parts) of your life that you just can't seem to excel at no matter how hard you try?
Is there one area - that you wish for just a second - could come as easy to you as you think it does for others?
Are you beginning to think that maybe you're "cursed" or that the Universe is working against you in this particular area for whatever reason?
Well I'm here to tell you that you can achieve success in EVERY single area of your life.
You just have to know how to solve the problem. And after 2 decades of research and study, I can tell you that there are solutions! It's actually pretty simple and straight forward. All You Have to Do Is Reformat the Cellular Memory within Your Mind So That It No Longer Blocks You from Excelling In These "Problem Areas" In Your Life.
In turn, you will achieve complete spiritual balance and no longer experience feelings of emptiness or failure.
So now the question becomes "How do I reformat my mind's cellular memory?" Well…think about memory for a second.
Memory is nothing more than information from the past that has been stored and can be retrieved again at some point.
What's happening when you are experiencing blocks from cellular memory in your mind is that the negative memories from events in your past are blocking you from getting the results that you want now.
Perhaps at some point in your life (and you may not even remember when it happened) an event took place that placed a message within your mind that said;
· "you'll never be wealthy" or
· "you'll always be overweight" or
· "you will never find a soul mate and will remain alone forever."
It could be any number of events which occurred that was then recorded in your mind's cellular memory.
And remember what I said earlier about how cellular memory manifests itself? It does so through your self esteem.
Your self esteem is your mind's governing power over your entire existence. It is everything that you believe about yourself both consciously and subconsciously.
And that's why it is crucial to take whatever steps necessary to improve your self esteem if you want to achieve success in every area of your life.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom.12 vs. 2)
I told you at the beginning of this article that I was in this dilemma of roller-coaster living too! And somehow, I was able to overcome it! How did I do that? You want to know?
Go to www.tonyegba.com and download the “Prodigal Son” FREE!
I am confidence!
I am Responsible!
I am accountable!
I am Rich, Happy and Healthy!
And so are you!
Thank God! Thank you Father!
Tony Egba
08038037674
The Man of Enterprise
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Tony Egba, CeO,Tropical Entrepreneurship Development Centre
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Jim Rohn said:
“Once you’ve learned to discern the eagles from the ducks, your next step is to grow an enterprising nature”.
This is a challenge that will have countless benefits.
We’re all aware that many people feel that we must be careful when focusing on money or affluence or abundance —
They said that in the pursuit of those things, there is danger.
The truth is that:
If you pursue money and affluence to the exclusion of other values in life, you have lost, not won.
However, let’s consider this question:
If you could do better financially, should you?
In the time you have allotted to labour,
economics,
success,
achievement,
productivity,
the creation of value,
the development of skills, and creativity:
If you could do better, should you?
I believe one of the greatest satisfactions of living life to the fullest is doing the best you can with whatever you have.
Doing anything less than your best has a way of eroding the psyche.
We are creatures of Enterprise.
You are a “Man of ENTERPRISE!”
Life seems to say to us:
“Here are the raw materials — your creativity, and 24 hours to use it.
What splendid things can you produce?”
What will be your extraordinary feats in 24 hours, 30 days, throughout 2013!
Let us look at a profile of the Enterprising Person
Enterprising people are those people disciplined and dedicated enough to seize opportunities that present themselves — regardless of the current situation, economy, struggles, or obstacles.
They choose to be eagles, not ducks.
Think of a few people you know who are enterprising.
Think of people in your office, in your neighbourhood, maybe people in the news who manage to succeed regardless of the obstacles.
What do these people have in common?
They’re probably always on the go, developing a plan, following a plan, reworking the plan until it fits.
They’re probably resourceful, never letting anything get in the way.
They probably don’t understand the word NO when it applies to their visions of the future.
And, when faced with a problem, they probably say, “Let’s figure out a way to make it work,” instead of, “It won’t work.”
Enterprising people see the future in the present.
They will always find a way to take advantage of situations, not be burdened by them.
And enterprising people are not lazy!
They don’t wait for opportunities to come to them; they go after the opportunities.
Enterprising means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.
However, we humans can be particularly creative at working at less than our potential.
We’re grounded like the duck, and not soaring like the eagle.
The Enterprising Person Works Smarter
It’s an obvious — yet often overlooked — truth: rich people have 24 hours a day, and poor people have 24 hours a day.
The difference between the rich and the poor is in the management of that time.
Successful people often work harder and longer than most, but they almost always work smarter.
If we get more from ourselves, if we can make an hour as valuable as 10 hours used to be, we can get as much done in a day as we used to get done in a week.
Imagine the potential compounding effect of working smarter.
Choosing to Be an Eagle
By practising a few simple disciplines every day, you can use time like the rich — with focus and effectiveness.
1) Run the day, or it will run you.
Part of the key to time management(Self-Management) is staying in charge.
In fact you cannot actually manage time, but you can manage your self to use your time profitably!
Some will be masters of their time, and some will be servants.
Enterprising people become the masters of their time.
To master your time, you must have clear written goals for each day that you keep with you at all times.
It helps to create each day’s list the night before.
Prioritise your goals for the day and constantly review them.
And here’s a good question to ask yourself constantly:
Is this a MAJOR activity or a minor activity?
By asking that question, you will reduce the amazingly natural tendency to spend MAJOR time on minor things.
In sales training, we are taught that major time is the time spent in the presence of the prospect, while minor time is the time spent on the way to the prospect.
If you are not careful, you will spend more time “on the way to” than “in the presence of” your goals.
Before you answer an email, ask yourself if this is a MAJOR activity or a minor activity.
Before you make a phone call, ask yourself if this is a MAJOR phone call or a minor phone call.
Enterprising people don’t let the minor activities distract them from the MAJOR activities — the ones that hold the keys to their success.
2) Don’t mistake activity for productivity.
You probably know some people who always seem to be busy being busy.
To be successful, you must be busy being productive.
Some people are going, going, going, but they’re doing figure eights.
They’re not making much progress.
Don’t mistake activity for productivity, movement for achievement.
Evaluate the hours in your days, and see if there is wasted time that you could manage better.
Remember there is an opportunity cost to every single activity you do.
The time you spend doing one thing is time you could spend doing something else.
Before investing your time in anything, briefly ask yourself if this is the highest-leverage activity you could be doing to accomplish the most important priority on your list for the day.
And, make sure the activities on your list for the day are the highest-leverage opportunities to accomplish your short- and long-term goals.
Learn how to get more done using less time, energy, and resources.
3) Focus. The third key to time management is good concentration.
You’ve got to zero-in on the job at hand.
Like an ant, let nothing stand in your way and let nothing distract you from the task.
Assuming this is a MAJOR activity in pursuit of the highest-leverage opportunity available, there should be nothing more valuable to invest your time in.
This is easier said than done.
Concentration takes a lot of discipline.
It takes discipline to demand privacy, to not react to the minor activities that try to demand your attention, such as new emails and ringing phones.
(I occasionally wonder how have being living before the advent of GSM in Nigeria?)
If you have a long list of things to get done within one day, do the toughest one while your concentration is at its peak.
If you’re a morning person, get the job done in the morning.
Don’t wait until the evening when your energy is all spent.
Do the jobs that need the most concentration when your body is best able to handle them.
One of the greatest enemies of this sort of concentration is worry.
Worrying about your future can prevent you from being where you are right now.
We all have worries, and they are useful. But, don’t let worry distract you.
Stay focused on changing what you can change — that is the only true way to overcome the source of your worry anyhow.
Enterprise is always better than ease.
Every time we choose to do less than we possibly can, we limit our possibilities — we stifle our potential.
You can alter your life by doing a little more each day to work smarter, by developing a habit of efficiency rather than the habit of activity.
Looking at the Ant:
When was the last time you saw ants reach an obstacle and give up with their heads down and go back to the ant hole to relax?
Never!
If they’re headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they will look for another way.
They’ll climb over, they’ll craw under, they’ll go around — regardless of the effort involved.
What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you’re supposed to go.
Here’s another question. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for winter?
All that it possibly can!
Ants don’t have quotas or “good enough” philosophies.
They don’t gather a certain amount and then go back to the hole to “hang out.”
If an ant can do more, it does.
“Go to the Ants and Learn!”
Imagine what you could accomplish if you never quit and always did all that you could do.
The enterprising person will always soar like an eagle and will consistently cause others to soar around him or her as well.
I am a Man of Enterprise!
I am Responsible!
I am Accountable!
I am Happy, Rich and Healthy!
I am getting Better and Better!
And so are You!
Thank God! Thank you Father!
Tony Egba
08038037674
www.tonyegba.com
Divine Opportunity
2013-The Year of DIVINE OPPORTUNITY!
2013-The Year of DIVINE OPPORTUNITY!
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Tony Egba, RichLife Centre.
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Dear Friends,
As I was quietly building my vibration this morning, the Spirit of God spoke to me quietly, he said;
This is the Year of Divine OPPORTUNITY!
2013! The Year of DIVINE OPPORTUNITY!
The meaning of this is that:
Round about, Opportunity will be available to YOU!
UP and Down, Opportunity will be available to YOU!
Lagos or London, Opportunity will be Available to YOU!
Abuja or Addis-Ababa, Opportunity will be available to YOU!
Amai or America, Opportunity will be available to YOU!
Onistcha or China Opportunity will be available to YOU!
Wherever you are or you go, Opportunity will be available to YOU!
Right now and where you are, Opportunity is available to YOU!
Under Your foot Opportunity is available to YOU!
In Nigeria Opportunity is available to YOU!
This Year of Divine Opportunity, You are not Limited by anything!
You are not Limited by Time!
You are not Limited by Location!
You are not limited by resources!
Your Opportunity and Supply is infinite!
All we need to pray for is the Spirit of Discernment, Wisdom and Understanding.
Lord Open my eyes that I may see! Should be our desire every morning!
In everything, everywhere and in everybody there will be Opportunity for YOU this year 2013!
Always look for and see Opportunity to Invest or Harvest every moment of this year 2013!
Take every OPPORTUNITY this year to GROW!
Let us Pray:
Lord open my eyes to see vast Opportunity in Nigerian Agriculture this Year!
Open my eyes to see opportunity in Manufacturing of goods this year!
Open my eyes to see Opportunity is service industry this year!
Open my eyes to see Opportunity in Education industry this Year!
Open my eyes to see Opportunity in Communication Industry this year!
Open my eyes to see opportunity in Transportation industry this year!
Open my eyes to see Opportunity in health Industry this Year!
Open my eyes to see massive opportunity in Forestry this year!
Open my eyes to see Opportunity in Renewable Energy this year!
Open my eyes to see Opportunity in Oil Industry this Year!
Open my eyes to see Opportunity in Sport industry this year!
Open my eyes to see Opportunity as an Entrepreneurship Coach this Year 2013!
Lord Open my "Third Eyes" to see the Hidden Opportunity of Service Everywhere this 2013!
Lord! Give me the Grace that I may see!
Our Anchor word is in Romans 8:28.
The Key to this Divine OPPORTUNITY is:
LOVE!
I am surrounded by sea of Opportunity!
I am Happy!
I am Rich!
I am Healthy!
I am getting Better and Better in 2013!
And so you are!
Thank God!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Tony Egba
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Five Ways to Become RICH
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
The mind of a Champion!
The only Secret of Success
The world belongs to those who reach out and grab opportunity with both hands. It belongs to those who do something more than wish and hope and plan, intending to do something someday, when all conditions seem just right. It belongs to those who get out there and take action. We've all heard the expression "Knowledge is Power", but what I think is even more profound is "The Implementation of that Knowledge is Power".
Successful people are not necessarily those who make the right decisions all the time. No one can do that, no matter how smart he or she is.
But once successful people have made a decision, they begin moving step-by-step toward their objectives, and they begin to get feedback or signals to tell them when they're on course and when course corrections are necessary. As they take action and move toward their goals, they continually get new information that enables them to adjust their plans in large and small ways.
What significant goals are YOU implementing right now?
It's important to understand that life is a series of approximation and course adjustments. Let me explain. When an airplane leaves Abuja for Addis Ababa, it is off course 99 percent of the time. This is normal and natural and to be expected. The pilot makes continual course corrections, a little to the north, a little to the south. The pilot continually adjusts altitude and throttle. And sure enough, several hours later, the plane touches down at exactly the time predicted when it first became airborne upon leaving Abuja.
The entire journey has been a process or approximation and course adjustments.
Of course, there are no guarantees in life. Everything you do — even driving to work — is filled with uncertainty. You can never be completely sure that any action or behavior is going to bring about your desired result. There is always a risk. And where there is risk, there is fear. And whatever you think about grows in your mind and heart. People who think continually about the risks involved in any undertaking soon become preoccupied with fears and doubts and anxieties that conspire to hold them back from trying in the first place.
At Babson College, a 12-year study was conducted to discover the reasons for success. The researchers concluded that the difference between the successes and the failures in their study could be summarized by one word: launch! Successful people were willing to launch themselves down the track of opportunity without any guarantee of success. They were willing to risk uncertainty and overcome the normal fears and doubts that hold the majority in place.
And the remarkable thing is that as you take risks in life, new opportunities emerge all around you. However, you would not have seen those opportunities if you had not taken action. They would not have materialised for you if you had waited for some assurance of the outcome before acting.
Gain the one quality that's at the heart of your achievements, character, and happiness.
The Confucian saying "A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step" simply means that great accomplishments begin with your willingness to face the inevitable uncertainty of any new enterprise and step out boldly in the direction of your goal. If you want to be more successful faster, just do more things. Take more action; get busier. Start a little earlier; work a little harder; stay a little later. Put the odds in your favor.
According to the law of probability, the more things you try, the more likely it is that you will try the one thing that will make all the difference.
I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.
Tom Peters, the author of the classic bestseller In Search of Excellence found that a key quality of the top executives was a "bias for action." Their motto seemed to be "Ready, fire, aim!" Their attitude toward business was summarised in the words "Do it, fix it, try it." They realised that the future belongs to the action-oriented, to the risk taker.
Successful people know, as General Douglas MacArthur once said, "There is no security on this earth. There is only opportunity." And the interesting thing is this: If you seek opportunity, you'll end up with all the security you need. However, if you seek security, you'll end up with neither opportunity nor security. The proof of this is all around us, in the downsizing and reconstructing of corporations, where thousands of men and women who sought security are finding themselves unemployed for long periods of time.
There is a "momentum principle" of success, which is derived from two physical laws, the law of momentum and the law of inertia, and it applies equally well to everything that you accomplish and fail to accomplish.
In physics, the law of momentum says that a body in motion tends to remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. The law of inertia, on the other hand, says that a body at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.
In their simplest terms, as they apply to you and your life, those laws say that if you stay in motion toward something that is important to you, it's much easier to continue making progress than it is if you stop somewhere along the way and have to start again. Successful people are very much like the plate spinners in the circus. They get things spinning, knowing that if a plate falls off, or something comes to a halt, it's much harder to get it restarted than it is to keep it going.
Once you have a goal and a plan, get going! And once you start moving toward your goal, don't stop. Do something every day to move yourself closer toward your goal. Don't let the size of the goal or the amount of time required to accomplish it hold you back. During your planning process, break down the goal into small tasks and activities that you can engage in every day. Every day, every week, every month you should be making progress by completing your predetermined tasks and activities in the direction of your clearly defined objective.
And here's where the rubber meets the road. One of the most important single qualities for success is self-discipline. It's the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.
Let me break down that definition of self-discipline. First, “the ability to make yourself." This means that you have to use strength and willpower to force yourself into motion, to overcome the power of inertia that holds you back. Second, "do what you should do when you should do it."
This means that you make a plan, set a schedule, and then do what you say you'll do. Do it when you say you'll do it. Keep your promises to yourself and to others. The third part of this definition is: "whether you feel like it or not."
You see, anyone can do anything if he feels like it, if he wants to do it because it makes him happy, if he is well-rested and has lots of time. However, the true test of character is when you do something that you know you must do whether you feel like it or not — especially when you don't like doing it at all.
In fact, you can tell how badly you really want something, and what you're really made of as a person, by how capable you are of taking action in the direction of your goals and dreams even when you feel tired and discouraged and disappointed and you don't seem to be making any progress. And very often, this is the exact time when you will break through to great achievement. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "When the night is darkest, the stars come out."
Your ability to endure, to continue taking action, step by step, in the direction of your dreams, is what will ultimately assure your success. Keep at it!
Take action now to make your life more complete in 21 essential success principles that I will be sharing with you.
Have read today's
Secret? Take action and be clear on what you want!
Tony Egba
08088568887
Tony Egba's Profile
Thursday, 5 July 2012
NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME!
It's with this fact in mind that I'd like to ask you a few important
questions.
When would be a good time to implement a new idea, an idea that
could very well change your life? That's simple isn't it, right
now -- today.
If you want to increase your sales, when would be a good time to
start calling more customers?
How about next month? It will never work, you need to start today,
right now that's when you need to start calling more people.
When would be a great time to pay off your debt and change from
being a spender to a saver? After you file for bankruptcy?
Of course not, you start right now - this instant.
When would be a great time to lose some weight and take care of
your health? Waiting until the heart attack comes is not the
answer; you want to get down to the gym right now!
If you have a big, ambitious goal that's been begging for your
attention, when should you pursue it?
When the time is right? (Check my article Titled “ Make the Vision Plain”)
When it's a full moon?
When you are 50?
The answer is right now -- TODAY!
When should you start doing anything that's really worth doing,
you need to do it now.
As mentioned earlier, the year is now more than 50% complete, have
you started with a bang or a whimper?
Are you more than 50% of the way towards your goals?
If you had ambitions of making over N12, 000,000.00 this year, you should
already have made OVER N6, 000,000.00.
Are you on track? Are you even close?
If not, if you are behind target, YOU need to put some urgency
in your efforts. You need to realize that the amount of time
you have to make 2012 the absolute best year of your life is
quickly passing. It is time that you cannot get back.
Fortunately for you, I have some good news.
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Be Graceful Under Pressure:
You're on stage. Three hundred pairs of eyes are fixed on you. You're killing: Twenty minutes in and the audience is in the palm of your hand.
Then your slide show freezes up. Your computer refuse to work!
Your skin tingles. Your body tenses. You stammer. Your eyes dart back and forth from the audience to the screen to your laptop to the stage manager in the wings.
You fall apart.
"Pressure raises self-consciousness and anxiety about performing correctly, which increases the attention paid to skill processes and their step-by-step control. Attention to execution at this step-by-step level is thought to disrupt well-learned or procedural performances."
Or, as those of us less learned describe it, you choke.
Still, somehow, some way, in the very same situation, other people don't choke. What do they have that we don't?
Maybe it's coolness under fire. Maybe it's what the more colorful call “knowing what to do when the chips are down”. Whatever you call that sense of grace under pressure, some people are just born with it, right?
Wrong!
Some people do seem naturally confident and poised under pressure. But poise isn't natural. Poise is a skill that some people develop. And anybody who is so determine can learn it
People like you and me!
How? Let's start with a basic premise. When you panic, you don't freak out because you lack bravery or courage. You don't lose your cool because you aren't born with the right stuff.
You panic because you face an uncomfortable situation and you don't know what to do. You freeze because you haven't done the work to change, "Oh-my-God-this-can-NOT-be happening-to-me-right-now..." into, "Oops. That's unfortunate. Oh well. No problem. I know what to do."
Once you know what to do at any situation, your degree of anxiety will tend to zero!
That is why hanging tough when things go wrong isn't the result of bravery. Bravery is the result of knowing what to do and how to do it when things go wrong. Thinking clearly and staying at the top of your game is easy when you've actually practiced for the Plan B
And that's why the key to maintaining your poise during even the most stressful situations is to gain experience. Not just any experience, though; the right kind of experience, the kind that builds confidence.
For example, say you're scheduled to do a product demo for an important customer or give a keynote address in an important occasion. The pressure is high because your business is struggling and if you don't land this customer you might have to let some employees go.
Here's how to ensure you can stay cool--no matter what happens:
1. Practice the basics.
Run through your demo a number of times. Smooth out the kinks. Make sure you know it cold.
Make sure you can perform it on autopilot--in a good way--so that some of your focus can be applied to reading the room instead of wondering, "Okay, what do I do next?"
Then think about the most likely questions or interruptions. Rehearse what you'll do if the client wants to see a certain function again. Rehearse what you'll do if the client wants to know how a certain function applies to their processes. From the customer's point of view, the best demos are interactive and informal--make sure you're ready to present the demo as a conversation rather than a presentation.
2. Then rework the basics.
All your initial practice will result in a set of logical steps: 1, 2, 3... To really know your stuff, change it up. Start with step 5. Start at the end and work backwards. Skip a couple of steps.
Rehearsing a different order helps reinforce your knowledge of your material and also prepares you for those inevitable moments when the client says, "That sounds good so far... but what I really want to know is this."
When that happens you won't need to say, "We'll get to that later," and frustrate your client because you're fully prepared to get to it now.
3. Practice the "What if?"
Once your presentation is in good shape it's time to prepare for things that could cause you to freeze. What if your software locks up? Figure out what you'll do. What if your client is delayed and you only get 10 minutes instead of 30? Decide how to shorten your presentation so you still hit key points. What if you get questions you aren't able to answer? Decide how you will respond.
Go ahead; go crazy. Think of some outlandish scenarios and decide how you'll handle them. It's actually kind of fun.
4. Visualize.
Athletes mentally rehearse; they imagine themselves performing an action. It works for them--and can work for you.
There's no need to make your product fail on cue so you can practice what to do. Just rehearse it in your mind. There's no need to get a few friends to role play hijacking your meeting so you can rehearse how you'll respond. Just picture it happening, and picture what you'll do.
Not only is visualization effective, it also has a calming effect: Picturing yourself succeeding is a great way to build confidence and self-assurance. (You must always visualizing yourself succeeding)
5. Create solution shelves.
Responding quickly is a skill that can be developed; that's why the military, police, and emergency workers train relentlessly. There's no need to think on your feet if you've already done the thinking. Stick your solutions on mental shelves, and when you're faced with a tough situation, reach for the solution.
Go back to your "What If" scenarios. If a key employee doesn't show, what's the solution? Stick the answer on your shelf. What if price is an issue before you even get a chance to start? Stick the answer on your shelf. What if the room you're shown into isn't appropriate for the demo? Stick the answer on your shelf.
The more answers you prepare and shelve, the more you can rehearse and visualize. Instead of having to think on your feet, it's stimulus-response.
Stimulus-response is easy.
6. Learn from close calls.
Say something goes wrong; your client doesn't notice, but you realize it was a close call that could have ruined the presentation. Don't just walk away relieved. Think through what you could have done--and add the solution to your mental shelf.
Close calls are like gifts, because they let you learn painlessly.
7. Rinse and repeat everywhere.
You can apply this approach to almost any situation, whether business or personal: Giving feedback, pitching investors, disciplining employees, dealing with confrontation, playing a sport, starting and building relationships... it doesn't matter.
You don't need to be brave. Just take a systematic approach to developing skills and gaining confidence.
Do the work and bravery, composure, and coolness under fire are unnecessary.
They're automatic.
‘TO FAIL TO PREPARE IS TO PREPARE TO FAIL”
Please take important note of this point I am about to make now- Things may not necessarily go the way you plan them but in most cases you will end up with want you that is the divine bonus to those who have planned and prepared well.
Tony Egba.
08038037674