Golden Seeds of Life : You are special

God used 9 months to systematically design you in your mother's womb. He specifically planned you, adding every delicate tissue to nerves, mixing the elixir called blood with cells and genetic material. He carefully designed you, crafting your face and body with amazing precision. He then put an original stamp on you and made you a once in existence creature. None before you or after you could ever be the same. In fact he made sure you are a limited, unreapeatable model.

So why do you live your life like you are an after thought? Like you are an option instead of a priority?
Why would God create you an original and not give you the ability to make a DIFFERENCE on this earth?

Come on, get up and shake loose from the bondage of Mediocrity! Take your place and do what you were born to do. Make a difference in your life and that of everyone else connected to you. You can't expect anyone else to do it on your behalf. It wouldn't be the same. You are special. Make your mark.

~Paa Kofi Tinagyei
#BookAddict
#MandateBooks

Golden Seeds of Life : Don't put things off

We spend so much time building walls and security doors instead of bridges and open doorways. We bottle up love and gratitude instead of expressing them and we waste time apart from loved ones instead of spending time celebrating the gift of love and companionship. We strive so hard to conform and blend in when we were made to stand out and be different. Life is finite and may pass in an unnoticeable moment. So live fully today. Stop putting off your dream and start today. Quit being shy and tell that person how you feel today. Make that call right now. Write that letter and mail it today. Don't put off life any longer. You won't live forever, so treasure this very moment.
Live well, love God and live now.
~Doc Sam Tinagyei
#MandateLife
#JollofLife
Ps. don't put of sharing this post either.

Golden Seeds of Life : Preparation

"One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes" .
~Benjamin Disraeli

Preparation generates resourcefulness, sharpens instinct, develops wisdom and intellect and activates appropriate action. It enables us to exhibit calm and well calculated responses to the curves life throws at us instead of panicked reactions inspired by fear and anxiety. It is very easy to identify people who are not prepared in life. Their lives are filled with stressful events and every minute is an emergency. They are susceptible to emotional outbursts, temper tantrums and nagging headaches or migraines.
Does this describe your life or anyone you know?
The solution is preparation. Proper preparation produces perfect performance!
PKT
#BookAddict
#MandateLife

Golden Seeds of Life: Social Media

This morning I received some notifications from Facebook about activity on my wall and amongst them was a part labelled "memories on this day". As you have also noticed, it is basically a collection of things you posted on your wall on the same day in previous years. Gradually, this has become one of my favorite parts of the notifications for the simple reason that, it shows me what I was thinking and what i felt was important to share last year and previous years on this same day.
I have taken this instruction;
Before you update, comment or post anything on social media, especially Facebook, ask these questions;
1. Will I be proud to reshare, repost or allow people to associate me to this post a few years down the line?
2. What does my posts say about my values and my development as a person?
Like I keep reiterating, social media is serious business and the internet never forgets.
So before you post,
PAUSE, READ and THINK!
Enjoy the new month and keep making a difference.
~Paa Kofi Tinagyei
#MandateBooks
#JollofLife

Golden Seeds of Life : Don't Compare

Hey, want to know one of the best pieces of advice ever given? It is this: Don't compare yourself to others. As simple as that. It is truly unwise to do so. Apart from the very fact that you are completely unique and special by yourself, most people are so good at pretending that, they wouldn't even recognize their own true selves if they met at the mall. So in effect, comparing yourself with them is comparing yourself with a completely unrealistic fictional character that only exists in your assumptions and in their pretenses. You see? Totally not worth it.
Be yourself and be the best version of you.
See you on the top.
PKT

Are you really objective?

Just this morning, something interesting happened in one of the social media groups I am in and it got me thinking. Exactly how objective are we in our thoughts and opinions and to what extent are we unwittingly being influenced by popular, expected or even seemingly unpopular opinions that are not necessarily true or even accurate? Sometimes, even in our most ardent quests for truth we end up becoming victims of the single story syndrome. This is what I mean: It has become quite easy and common to use our personal experiences to filter whatever news we hear and use them to declare our opinions as fact. But are we absolutely sure that our facts are accurate and true? Can we bodly say that, we give enough room for doubt and verification? Are we not allowing our prejudices (Yes, we all have them) to influence our view of things and of people? How many times have we asked ourselves if what we think we know is actually true or even considered the possibility that things were not as we assumed they were? Perception is influenced by experiences and if we believe that our experiences are subjective then it shouldn't be difficult to believe that our opinions, not matter how honest, are still not objective.
I don't have answers to offer, only questions and hopefully, high quality and thought inspiring ones. My desire is to provoke a deeper conversation on objectivity. I would love to hear your thoughts.
PKT

Golden Seeds of Life: Choices and Friends

In a world of nasty and pretentious people, being a nice person isn't a very safe thing. However If you choose to continue to be a "nice" person, at least draw a line at a point. Most people will try to take advantage of you. It is human nature. Pick your friends very carefully and do not be too quick to offer assistance without a clear understanding of the situation and consequences thereafter. Instead of spreading your love thin, focus on those who have demonstrated a true commitment to your happiness and double down on them. Reward their love and support with copious helpings of your own attention and affection. Systematically reduce the time and energy you spend on those who only take from you. Those who don't bother to talk to you or check up on you. Don't believe their excuses. For every time they spend unconcerned about you, they spend with those who actually mean something to them. Don't ask for an explanation. Actions speak louder than words anyway. You cannot do much about what has already happened but you can definitely do a lot about what should happen in the future.
People will always find time for the things and people they want to. It is a matter of choice.
Choices reveal the real truth about people. Make yours count for the sake of your happiness.
~PKT

Golden Seeds of Life : You and Money

For the best parts of our lives, most of us are advised to go to school, study hard, pass and get a good job with a good salary.
This advice was all we needed in the industrial age.
When the world changed and the rules of money were rewritten, the memo to change our mindsets in relation to money was somehow lost in transit.
Today, the rich teach their kids to get financially intelligent, start and run big business and invest in appreciating assets. The poor still teach their kids to look for a good job and a good salary. The rich teach their kids to make money work for them, whiles the poor still work for money.
This is one of the most significant reasons the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.
PKT
#BookAddict
#SmartMoney

Golden Seeds of Life : Live

Most of us have stayed in neighborhoods for a while now and yet have not ventured 5 houses on either side of our houses before. Others have taken the same route to work for over 5 years, and have never tried another route before. Most of us have not spoken to over 50% of the people on our contact lists in the last six months.
Some people have never struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger on a bus before. We have been numbed by our daily routines. We look without seeing, touch without feeling and listen without hearing. We have become tuned off and disconnected.
It is only about us, our work and our families. We are living and yet have never really lived a day before. Slow down once in a while and smell the flowers. Listen to the sounds around you and allow the wind to blow in your face. Enjoy all God has made. Instead of just enduring life and merely going through the motions, decide to live fully and bigly.
PKT
#BookAddict
#MandateBooks

Golden Seeds of Life : What it takes

Many people say they want this and that. They want to achieve that goal and that dream. But most people do not achieve them? Why? I strongly believe most people do not have WHAT IT TAKES to make their dreams come true. I keep saying that, life will not give its treasures to just anyone who is along for a ride. Wealth will not come to you just because you want it. No sir! Expecting life to treat you better just because you are here is just like expecting a lion to spare you because you are a vegetarian. It won't happen. Ask all the people who are enjoying any measure of success and they will tell you;
Yo got to want it bad enough to enjoy it long enough! Come on, lets go.
-PKT

Golden Seeds of Life : Just Try

Some people are so obsessed with perfection that they most often don't do anything at all. They get trapped by the pitfall called "analysis paralysis".
The tendency to spend so much time in analysing and projecting that, you get discouraged and pronounce failure even before trying.
Beloved, it is good to do things very well but it is useless if you don't get to do anything at all. Excellence does not mean you never make a mistake. It means you do the best you can with all the resources available.
So, get going. Plans or goals without action are just fantasies and day dreams. Just do it!
PKT
#BookAddict
#MandateBooks

Golden Seeds of Life: Say Thank you.

GRATITUDE. That single element that makes everything possible. It is the oil that lubricates the wheel of success in our lives. Lets make today a GRATITUDE DAY. Say Thank you to the driver who dropped you at work. Appreciate the driver's mate who opened the door for you to get in and out of the bus. Say thank you to the security guard who opened the door for you. Show gratitude to the waakye seller who makes it possible for you to have a #WaakyeWednesday.
It does not matter if they are just doing their jobs or they treat you badly. It is not about them, it is about you. It is about you being AWESOME today. I appreciate you for reading my posts everyday. Thank you for liking and sharing and thanking.
PKT

Golden Seeds of Life : A little here, a little there!

Do not bother yourself with being completely flawless. It is not worth the hassle and anxiety. Instead, focus on continuous improvement. Resolve to get better as a person every single day of your life. Improve your skills, sharpen your gifts, increase your strength, deepen your love, elevate your morals and expand your knowledge. Commit yourself to getting at least 1% better than you were the previous day. Learn a new word or two, go a few steps further than you normally do, add just one more push or sit up to your exercise routine. Call one more person, sell one more product, read one more page. Just a little here and a little there. Before you know it, you have achieved mastery. Remember, little drops don't just make a mighty ocean, they make lots of mighty oceans. A successful life is more about the journey than the destination. It is in continuous improvement that we get glimpses of PERFECTION.
-PKT
#BookAddict
#MandateLife

Golden Seeds of Life: Financial Intelligence

Lots of people are unsettled at the thought of sitting down to draw up a budget for their lives. It sounds too daunting for them. Interestingly, it is quite as simple as making a list of items you need, assigning specific amounts to them and having the discipline to stick to your own list. I think it was John Maxwell who said, "Making a budget is telling where your money where it should go instead of wondering where it went".
If you don't know how much you spend on what, how do you improve your personal finances? A budget is the first step towards financial discipline and subsequently, financial freedom. Learning to master control over your financial life is learning to take charge of your destiny and destination.
#SmartMoney
#MandateBookClub

Golden Seeds of Life: Knowledge .

If I don't know something, I would rather admit that I don't know. Getting to the point where you know exactly how much you don't know is the beginning of knowledge. It is at this point that seeking can take place and it is only in seeking, that there can be the possibility of Discovery! Be humble enough to admit you don't know. Be passionate enough to seek relentlessly and then, be grateful when you find.
Afterwards seek to impart your knowledge in order to be a blessing to others. That is how the cycle of life and wisdom works. Be a part of the chain of knowledge. Don't be hoarder or a lake. Be a stream. Flow and nourish others. These are the golden seeds of a meaningful life.
PKT
#MandateLife

Controversial notes 1: On resumes

Lessons from Linchpin by Seth Godin.
If you are remarkable, you probably shouldn't or wouldn't have a resume. The people who invented the mundane industrial work force and formal education also invented the resume. It is designed to look for cogs; easily replaceable parts. You don't want to be that. You want to be different. You want to be special. You want to be remarkable. You want to be indispensable. You want to be a linchpin.
This is controversial and most "traditional" managers will protest because most of them don't employ talent, they employ paper. If you want to work for managers like that there is nothing wrong with that. Do your best to fit in. Become a good replaceable cog in the machinery. Don't argue. If you are an artist at heart and you want to do something that stands out, you probably wouldn't be successful in such a company.

Money is a BIG deal

The rules of money changed in the summer of 1971 when President Nixon detached the American dollar from gold, in effect changing it from a gold standard (real money) to monopoly money (fiat currency). It meant money now drastically depreciated instead of appreciating. What did this mean? It simply meant that, if you just saved your money and didn't invest in appreciating assets or money making vehicles, the value dropped everyday. Funny enough, nobody will teach you this in school and even the bankers will not tell you the truth.
In the new world of money, financial intelligence is king and what you don't know WILL hurt you.
PKT

Midnight Thoughts

I think apart from ignorance, the other reason most people do not pay attention to Mental Health is because of FEAR. Fear that if we looked closely enough at our selves, we will see the truth. The truth that we are not really doing as well as we want everyone else to think we are. So like the ostrich we try to bury our heads in the sand, hoping that no one sees through our pretentious appearances. So we avoid anything deeper than social media friendship and we put up exciting and animated posts and pictures.
We work so hard to project an image of perfection and satiety when we know that it is all an act. A complete and utter lie. We smile fake smiles and use smileys we don't actually mean. We have automatic responses to how we are doing and take lots and lots of pictures of our faces as if to convince ourselves of the lies we keep telling others.
The only problem is that, pretending Mental issues don't exist or can't affect us won't change the truth. The truth that, we all need help. Admittedly some need more help than others, but we all do. The truth that we all have issues and the only difference is that, some people are simply better at hiding theirs.
Mental health is a fundamental issue and everyone deserves whatever help they need to survive and thrive.
To all those who fight everyday to stay sane and alive, I am privileged to share this earth with you. I send you waves of warmth, love and peace of mind. Keep fighting.
~PKT
Midnight Thoughts (18/06/19)

Let's call it Phonetiquettes

Someone's phone number is a private space. Having access to it must be seen as a privilege not a right. Nothing gives you the moral audacity to abuse that privilege. Please, my dear church folk, your Christianity is not measured by the number of people you broadcast your devotion, exposition or sermons to.  And you have no right to judge anyone or classify them as sinners because they reject your messages. My dear motivational speaker, not everyone who gives you their number, necessarily wants to be bombarded with your messages . Check your attitude and manners first. No one will listen to you if all you do is send devotions and broadcasts, without even the courtesy of a greeting or inquiry about their well being. And please, stop assuming. Just be polite and ask first.
Social media is not simply a virtual space that affords you an avenue to do and say what you certainly cannot say in real life. Learn decorum.
Next time try being polite, it will make you feel and look better and people will listen to you.
Yes. I have said it and I love you. Whether you like it or not. Lol
PKT
#MandateLife
#jstwalkingby.

What Will you Do?

Some say stop all else and do what you love. I really get this and i appreciate the wisdom embedded in this mantra. However, not everyone has the ability to do what they love and survive with the living that will provide. Some will lose their livelihood, families and integrity if they should stop all else and just do what they love.
What i advise is, do what you love, if it can give you a livelihood, but if not, learn to love what you do!
It is really all about ATTITUDE!
If all else fails, do what you have to and make time to do what you love. Happiness is a choice. Do not waste time worrying when you can spend time rejoicing.
PKT
#BookAddict
#MandateBooks

Who Are You?

You should come to the point where you are able to separate your IDENTITY from your SITUATION.
IDENTITY: Is the mental, psychological and spiritual nature and state of your inner man or spirit.
SITUATION: The temporary and physical position you may find yourself at a particular moment in time.
Your situation is not necessarily a true measure of your identity. It is just a temporary picture of a moving train so do not get discouraged. If you can look inside and focus on the vision in your heart, the one God showed you, your faith will always bring you out of any unfavorable situation you find yourself in. Know WHO you are and WHOSE you are.
PKT

Live!

Some people are so scared of living. Oh yes they exist but they don't actually live. Not really. They are not alive. It is no wonder nothing exciting really happens in their lives. They have so many layers of insulation between them and life that by the time, they realize it, their lives are over. When the opportunity to be something better or significantly different knocks, by the time they open the inner door, unlock the bolt chain, open the padlocks of the burglar proof doors, push part the sliding doors and walk across the lawn to the outer doors, the opportunity has moved on to a more welcoming person. Life can be cruel and painful and we get hurt all the time. However we can't let those feelings cripple us and imprison us. We have to build ourselves back up and take life on. The world is your stage. Don't hide behind the curtains. Step out and live.
Stop existing. Live!
PKT
#BookAddict