LESSONS IN RESURRECTION STORIES

LESSONS IN RESURRECTION STORIES 

The reality of resurrection is  written in the Bible.  Any denial does not reduce the potency of the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead . The specific post crucifixion section being considered here  is contained in John 19:23-24 KJV. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. [24] They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.. The three major lessons are; 

1. Materialism is not the goal of genuine spirituality.  The gospel of health and wealth doesn't capture the true meaning of biblical prosperity. It is suspected that the commitment of the Roman army to the death of Jesus Christ may be remotely connected to the sharing of his garments. By inference,  people engage in acquisition of wealth and possessions without cognizance for the righteousness taught in the scripture. When we acquire wealth without considering the pain others will go through; it is ungodly.   God's judgement is inevitable . Whoever loves money never has enough  money ; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. .

          Paul wrote to Timothy, But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.(1 Timothy 6:4-11). David gave a better conclusion,  We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.(Ps.39:6). Is it clothes that matter or salvation received by the thief on the cross? 

2. Gambling should not be a means to becoming rich. This is a timeless truth  that any believer's genuine love for God must transcend  his or her  love for material gain.  As in gambling and like a trophy of war, the soldiers at the cross of Jesus did "try your luck" to see who would get the last apparel Jesus put on. This is  a process that doesn't represent biblical  approach to get divine power to make wealth. (Deut 8:18). A called minister of the living God would read this section of the casting lot about Jesus' garment with  broken  heart that  the love for His garment blindfolded the army and led to their failure to appropriate  his mercy. We must not gamble or engage in any form of betting. 

3. Avoid Profiting from the problem of others.  One of the real problems with security and law enforcement agencies is intimidation to extort and profit from mistake made.  They capitalise on the fact that the law doesn't excuse ignorance.  Some medical personnels and institutions do use occasions of pain and expediency  for remedy as a catchment for their economic advantage.  Recently,  an Auto Electrician Expert brought computer to rectify the malfunctioning of a CRV. Before doing anything,  he insisted on =N=40,000.00 (Forty Thousand Naira ) They eventually negotiated it to 50% reduction.  It took him 10mins to imput  a secret code.  The suspicion that the job was a syndicate plan to extort cannot be ruled out.  Why do we engage in inhumanity against fellow men.  Pilate,  Herod,  Roman Soldiers etc  are human beings like us.  We must not use people's predicament as platform to promote our ego. We must be helpful to those who enter into problems.

=========

Rev Dr Kehinde Babarinde,  is the President , Lagos Central Baptist Conference.  A Relationship Advisor and an Accredited Management Trainer; Babarinde is a pastoral leader and an ecumenst. 

MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS

MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS

 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 

Opportunities are divine advantages or privileges, requiring human activation for progress. They are open doors providing access to success for anyone bold enough to confront the imminent challenges. The irony of life is that opportunities are being perceived wrongly. Winston Churchill substantiate this fact when he said that "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Opportunities are bridges. They link our potentials with possibilities, our skills with success and our competence with excellence. 

Human attitude and aptitude to opportunities will essentially determine their altitude of success in life. Opportunities are timely interventions that demand maximum human response without which they are seconded to another. Remember Judas (Acts 1:20) the pertinent  question to ask is how can we maximize our opportunities for success?

Recognize the goal you intend to achieve through the opportunity.  

Strategize the necessary steps required to maximize your opportunity.

Minimize every thought that diminishes or denigrates opportunities.

Mobilize your faith towards maximization of the opportunity.

Fraternize with people who value opportunities.

Utilize opportunities by taking action.

Actualize your goal by cherishing little opportunities.

It is often said that, opportunities come once in a lifetime. The reality is that opportunities are everywhere around us every day. Dont cry over the split milk of yesterdays failure and blind your eyes with the accumulated tears of a low self esteem. Cheer up and look up, Jesus said, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35. This implies endless opportunities awaiting our activation for celebration. 

In conclusion, Martin Luther asserts that "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." He further opined "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." This implies that with adequate preparation, proactivity, perseverance and persistence, every opportunity

===============

Pastor Ayodeji Jegede holds Bachelors degree in Agriculture & Theology. He is the Minister for Students, Youth & Pastoral services at Lagos Central Baptist Conference Lagos State and the Pastor coordinating the Youth, Teenage & Children Ministry at Estate Baptist Church Abesan Estate, Lagos . He is a facilitator at Leadership & Management Seminars. The C.E.O of Tranformer Multi-Services  and a prolific author of 10 books.

 pastorwithadifference@gmail.com-08028351583

SEEKING FOR GOD IN A PERVERSE GENERATION

SEEKING FOR GOD IN A PERVERSE GENERATION

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" (Psalm‬ 42:1-2‬ NIV‬‬)

Psalm 42 is the plea of a believer in the midst of unbelievers.

The psalmist seems to be in exile among those who have no faith in the only living and true God. While in exile, the psalmist recalls the times when he was able to go unto the house of God with all those who worshipped. He likened his passion for God as that of the deer for the water brooks.

The deer is noted for craving after the water brooks because of certain reasons which cannot be compromised, as long as the deer is still alive. Three of the reasons are highlighted here below.

1. That is where the deer draws his strength from

2. The deer cannot survive without water

3. The amount of water a deer takes determines how far it can travel.

Similarly, a Christian who wants to travel far in life, maximize his/her potential and live to the full capacity of Gods purpose, is expected to seek after and stay close to Jesus Christ the Living Water, through regular study of Gods word and prayer. The craving for personal communion with God is what defines our spiritual and physical character as Christians. The quality of our character grows in proportion to the time we spend in Gods presence and in His Word. It is a known fact that we cannot spend quality time with God and not be changed.

Jesus exemplified this for us; He was a man of prayer who continually spent hours alone with God.  Accordingly, if we desire to live the life Christ has for us then we must do the same. As we continue to spend time in His Word, we cultivate the very character of Christ. Jesus said it like this, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you...you shall bear much fruit. (John 15:5 NIV) His presence and His Word are the only two ingredients that can cause us to live as He did. We should allow His presence and His Word to be our greatest priority in our lives today.

Sadly, we are daily confronted with things that are capable of alienating us from God. Our daily struggle with/for position, power, popularity, peer pressure and the likes are part of the things that we are being offered as benefits with the underlying aim of stealing our time and communion with God. An average individual gets carried away with these offers most of the time, and ends up as a captive to them.

In the process, where the balance is not properly stricken, the following become the outcome.

We get sapped of our spiritual strength.

We lose focus of our primary calling to be Christians

We neglect the major and focus on the minor.

We lose divine direction 

We become busy (either for God or for ourselves) but remain guilty.

However, if we can redirect our passion and learn to seek for God  if we can long for Him more than anything else, appearing before Him will not be a challenge in spite of the perversions that we are daily surrounded with. Then we can be able to 

Behold His face

Enjoy His favour

Receive divine direction 

Enjoy restoration to divine agenda 

Enjoy absolute peace while we work with Him and for Him.

=======

Rev Kunle Ayo-Akinjole holds a degree in Theology and a Master in Christian Religious Studies. He is the current Pastor of First Baptist Church Era Odan, Ojo. Lagos State. He was the Anchorman for New Life Baptist Association at its inception and currently serves as Assistant Secretary of the Lagos Central Baptist Conference. PASTOR'S FELLOWSHIP. Akinjole is Youth Friendly and has trainings in Management

MAXIMISING OPPORTUNITIES IN MISSIONS

MAXIMISING OPPORTUNITIES 

IN MISSIONS

Oftentimes we wonder about how to preach the gospel in both a familiar and unfamiliar turf. The truth is; the Lord creates opportunities for us to do this from time to time. Many a times, the opportunity may come in form of meeting financial need, or through an hospital patient asking for prayers, or through sudden emergency on an aircraft or through a seeker who intends to know more about the Christian faith by asking probing questions. Whichever way, the certainty is the Lord Jesus usually creates opportunities of ministry for a willing heart. What matters is for Christians to maximize opportunities that present themselves for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ.This write up looks at the opportunity that Philip had to preach the gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch as found in Acts 8:26-40.

The Eunuch was reading a portion of Isaiah on the surface. Philip heard him read it and simply asked him a question: Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, "How can I unless someone guides me" and he asked Philip to come and sit with him". 

That opportunity afforded Philip the privilege of preaching the gospel to a highly placed government official from Africa that he may not have been privileged to reach ordinarily.  The Bible did not tell us what happens after the disappearance of Philip before this Eunuch, but the scripture was emphatic about the fact that this eunuch "went on his way rejoicing". It can be assumed that the eunuch must have contributed in no small measure to the spread of the gospel in Africa. 

As noted by Craig Keener in IVP Bible Background Commentary, "Christianity especially began to expand in Abyssinia through lay witness in the third century, and that empire was declared "Christian" about the same time as the Roman Empire was". 

Philip maximised the opportunity he had to evangelise the eunuch. When opportunity knocks at your door to declare the good news that a sinner can be delivered by the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus, how do you handle it?  We must note that the greatest miracle is for a sinner to turn to the Lord Jesus. We must continually seek out and maximize every opportunity that comes our way to win a soul for Jesus. We must "make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil". Ephesisans 5:16.

===========

Oluwabukunmi Popoola is the Minister, Missions and Church Development, Lagos Central Baptist Conference. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy; Master of Divinity in Theology  and is about completing a research-based Master of Theology degree in Missiology from the same seminary. A mission-minded pastor, he has participated in local and international mission outreaches. He was a member of the Executive Committee, Lagos State Baptist Conference, and Christian Education Advisory Board, Nigerian Baptist Convention. He is a member of the Executive Council of Lagos Central Baptist Conference and her subcommittees on Missions. He is married to Beatrice Abosede nee Abiola. The marriage is blessed with Precious, Promise and Praise.

 

LOVE YOUR WIFE UNCONDITIONALLY

19 ways to fix your wife - when she is falling apart!

Your wife can be dying in silence why still performing her wifely duties, you will need to know her to know when she needs to be fixed.

When a woman is always moody, cries a lot, yell on Children, can easily sleep or sleep a lot, she may be with battling something you are not careful enough to see.

A real man will not allow his wife to fall apart without fixing her and make her better and happy.

If you discover your wife is falling apart, it is often due the following:

CHECK IF YOU ARE THE PROBLEM

You might be her problem, but out of her respect and love for you, she may not tell you. Ask, let her talk sincerely

2. BE AWARE OF HER RESPONSIBILITIES

Get to know how her work load is killing her. Regardless of whether she stays at home or goes to work, do you know what she does all day? If you don't, ask her. Her to-do list is probably overflowing with tasks that far outweighs her time and energy.

3. BE APPRECIATIVE

Be mindful of her needs and appreciative of her sacrifices. The work a woman does at home can be too common that nobody will appreciate her for them, this can be killing her. Appreciate your wife

4. GET INVOLVED BEFORE SHE BURNS OUT

Don't just be appreciative, but get involved. The best time to begin helping your wife is now. Don't wait until she breaks down to offer a helping hand.

5. GET MACHINE

Get all the machine needed for her work at home. Dish washer, gas cooker, refrigerator, oven, laundering Machine etc

6. BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT

Be totally involved at home, stop delegating parenting and family life. Don't be a "visiting Professor", be an active partner in this business of your life. It takes two to parent. It takes two to make a marriage work. It takes two to run a household. Be fully involved in every aspect of your family life.

7. HOLD HER

Hold her like a lover and a friend. Place your hands on her shoulder, her laps, hold her hands, just hold her and let her feel you.

8. JUST LISTEN

Men are known to be good talker but very bad listeners. At times what your wife need is for you to just listen. Do not interrupt, let her unburden, let her talk. Sometimes the best way for a woman to reset is by getting all of her thoughts out. Let your wife talk through her feelings and problems. Show empathy. Listen carefully. Ask questions. Be fully engaged in the conversation.

9. BE A PARTNER NOT A TEACHER

Most men do fall into the "Teaching trap" when they are supposed to be a partner, showing love and consideration. Do not blame, just be there for her. Just listen. That's all you need to do. And if she wants you to offer solutions, she'll ask for them

10. GIVE HER HOPE

No matter what happen don't ever raise up your hands in surrender. Giving up, crying or weeping will hurt your wife more. Encourage her. Let her know what you love about her. Help her see the good in any situation. Avoid being critical or negative. When she's hit rock bottom, be the man who lifts her up, and brings light and hope back into her life.

11. BE SENSITIVE

Get to know her mood, get to know her needs, get to know what is needed to be done at home and do them without prompting

Learn the art of looking around the house and finding things that need to get done. Are there dishes in the sink? What is broken that needs to be fixed? Don't wait to be asked. Just do it!

12. PRAY FOR HER

Take your time off to pray for her, hand her over to her maker who knows the deepest need of her heart . Let God fix her, you can't do it

Let God know what you appreciate about her. Ask for his help. Ask him to tell you how you can be a better spouse to her. Ask him to comfort her and help her see herself as He see her.

13. PRAY WITH HER

Don't just pray for your wife, find time to pray with her, hug her as you pray together, hold her hands, just talk to your maker together.

14. ASK HER HOW YOU CAN BE OF HELP

Your wife knows what you can do to help her reset, so just ask her. She will open up to you, it may not be what you think, so don't speculate, ask, She'll appreciate it more than you will ever know.

15. HELP AROUND THE HOUSE

Give a helping hand around the house. Give her kitchen holiday for some days, do all the cooking or hire somebody to do it for you. Let her just sit, eat and rest, this may be all she needs,

16. TAKE HER OUT

Take her out, eat out, go to the cinema, go to wherever she will love to go, not where you want, just follow her.

17. ALLOW HER TO CRY,IF SHE MUST

"Stop crying are you a baby, will you be crying about this little thing?"

This is what most nude earning husband will do when their wives cry, what an insensitive word. If she feel like crying, hold her to yourself and let her do the crying while you pat her on the back. It's a great way to fix the problem.

18. LET HER GO ON HOLIDAY

Allow her to go on holiday all alone to herself, this can fix the problem as she returns with greater energy.

19. CELEBRATE HER

Let your wife be celebrated. Celebrate her in secret and in public. Talk about her beauty, motherhood, wifehood, support, thoughtfulness. This will make her day.

Dr19 ways to fix your wife - when she is falling apart!

Your wife can be dying in silence why still performing her wifely duties, you will need to know her to know when she needs to be fixed.

When a woman is always moody, cries a lot, yell on Children, can easily sleep or sleep a lot, she may be with battling something you are not careful enough to see.

A real man will not allow his wife to fall apart without fixing her and make her better and happy.

If you discover your wife is falling apart, it is often due the following:

CHECK IF YOU ARE THE PROBLEM

You might be her problem, but out of her respect and love for you, she may not tell you. Ask, let her talk sincerely

2. BE AWARE OF HER RESPONSIBILITIES

Get to know how her work load is killing her. Regardless of whether she stays at home or goes to work, do you know what she does all day? If you don't, ask her. Her to-do list is probably overflowing with tasks that far outweighs her time and energy.

3. BE APPRECIATIVE

Be mindful of her needs and appreciative of her sacrifices. The work a woman does at home can be too common that nobody will appreciate her for them, this can be killing her. Appreciate your wife

4. GET INVOLVED BEFORE SHE BURNS OUT

Don't just be appreciative, but get involved. The best time to begin helping your wife is now. Don't wait until she breaks down to offer a helping hand.

5. GET MACHINE

Get all the machine needed for her work at home. Dish washer, gas cooker, refrigerator, oven, laundering Machine etc

6. BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT

Be totally involved at home, stop delegating parenting and family life. Don't be a "visiting Professor", be an active partner in this business of your life. It takes two to parent. It takes two to make a marriage work. It takes two to run a household. Be fully involved in every aspect of your family life.

7. HOLD HER

Hold her like a lover and a friend. Place your hands on her shoulder, her laps, hold her hands, just hold her and let her feel you.

8. JUST LISTEN

Men are known to be good talker but very bad listeners. At times what your wife need is for you to just listen. Do not interrupt, let her unburden, let her talk. Sometimes the best way for a woman to reset is by getting all of her thoughts out. Let your wife talk through her feelings and problems. Show empathy. Listen carefully. Ask questions. Be fully engaged in the conversation.

9. BE A PARTNER NOT A TEACHER

Most men do fall into the "Teaching trap" when they are supposed to be a partner, showing love and consideration. Do not blame, just be there for her. Just listen. That's all you need to do. And if she wants you to offer solutions, she'll ask for them

10. GIVE HER HOPE

No matter what happen don't ever raise up your hands in surrender. Giving up, crying or weeping will hurt your wife more. Encourage her. Let her know what you love about her. Help her see the good in any situation. Avoid being critical or negative. When she's hit rock bottom, be the man who lifts her up, and brings light and hope back into her life.

11. BE SENSITIVE

Get to know her mood, get to know her needs, get to know what is needed to be done at home and do them without prompting

Learn the art of looking around the house and finding things that need to get done. Are there dishes in the sink? What is broken that needs to be fixed? Don't wait to be asked. Just do it!

12. PRAY FOR HER

Take your time off to pray for her, hand her over to her maker who knows the deepest need of her heart . Let God fix her, you can't do it

Let God know what you appreciate about her. Ask for his help. Ask him to tell you how you can be a better spouse to her. Ask him to comfort her and help her see herself as He see her.

13. PRAY WITH HER

Don't just pray for your wife, find time to pray with her, hug her as you pray together, hold her hands, just talk to your maker together.

14. ASK HER HOW YOU CAN BE OF HELP

Your wife knows what you can do to help her reset, so just ask her. She will open up to you, it may not be what you think, so don't speculate, ask, She'll appreciate it more than you will ever know.

15. HELP AROUND THE HOUSE

Give a helping hand around the house. Give her kitchen holiday for some days, do all the cooking or hire somebody to do it for you. Let her just sit, eat and rest, this may be all she needs,

16. TAKE HER OUT

Take her out, eat out, go to the cinema, go to wherever she will love to go, not where you want, just follow her.

17. ALLOW HER TO CRY,IF SHE MUST

"Stop crying are you a baby, will you be crying about this little thing?"

This is what most nude earning husband will do when their wives cry, what an insensitive word. If she feel like crying, hold her to yourself and let her do the crying while you pat her on the back. It's a great way to fix the problem.

18. LET HER GO ON HOLIDAY

Allow her to go on holiday all alone to herself, this can fix the problem as she returns with greater energy.

19. CELEBRATE HER

Let your wife be celebrated. Celebrate her in secret and in public. Talk about her beauty, motherhood, wifehood, support, thoughtfulness. This will make her day. 

This article is dedicated to celebrate them 

Dr & Lady Evan Olaleye are visioners of HEALING FOR ALL NATIONS

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Bill Gates, Warren Buffett And Oprah All Use The 5-Hour Rule

Top business leaders often spend five hours per week doing deliberate learning.

In the article "Malcolm Gladwell got us wrong", the researchers behind the 10,000-hour rule set the record straight: different fields require different amounts of deliberate practice in order to become world class.

If 10,000 hours isn't an absolute rule that applies across fields, what does it really take to become world class in the world of work?

Over the last year, I've explored the personal history of many widely-admired business leaders like Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg in order to understand how they apply the principles of deliberate practice.

What I've done does not qualify as an academic study, but it does reveal a surprising pattern.

Many of these leaders, despite being extremely busy, set aside at least an hour a day (or five hours a week) over their entire career for activities that could be classified as deliberate practice or learning.

I call this phenomenon the 5-hour rule.

How the best leaders follow the 5-hour rule

For the leaders I tracked, the 5-hour rule often fell into three buckets: reading, reflection, and experimentation.

1. Read

According to an HBR article, "Nike founder Phil Knight so reveres his library that in it you have to take off your shoes and bow."

Oprah Winfrey credits books with much of her success: "Books were my pass to personal freedom." She has shared her reading habit with the world via her book club.

These two are not alone. Consider the extreme reading habits of other billionaire entrepreneurs:

• Warren Buffett spends five to six hours per day reading five newspapers and 500 pages of corporate reports.
• Bill Gates reads 50 books per year.
• Mark Zuckerberg reads at least one book every two weeks.
• Elon Musk grew up reading two books a day, according to his brother.
• Mark Cuban reads more than 3 hours every day.
• Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot, reads two hours a day.
• Billionaire entrepreneur David Rubenstein reads six books a week.
• Dan Gilbert, self-made billionaire and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, reads one to two hours a day.

Want to find the time to read? Sign up for the free webinar here.

2. Reflect

Other times, the 5-hour rule takes the form of reflection and thinking time.

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong makes his senior team spend four hours per week just thinking. Jack Dorsey is a serial wanderer. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner schedules two hours of thinking time per day. Brian Scudamore, the founder of the 250 million-dollar company, O2E Brands, spends 10 hours a week just thinking.

When Reid Hoffman needs help thinking through an idea, he calls one of his pals: Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, or Elon Musk. When billionaire Ray Dalio makes a mistake, he logs it into a system that is public to all employees at his company. Then, he schedules time with his team to find the root cause. Billionaire entrepreneur Sara Blakely is a long-time journaler. In one interview, she shared that she has over 20 notebooks where she logged the terrible things that happened to her and the gifts that have unfolded as a result.

If you want to be in to company of others who reflect on what they're learning with each other, join this Facebook group.

3. Experiment

Finally, the 5-hour rule takes the form of rapid experimentation.

Throughout his life, Ben Franklin set aside time for experimentation, masterminding with like-minded individuals, and tracking his virtues. Google famously allowed employees to experiment with new projects with 20% of their work time. Facebook encourages experimentation through Hack-A-Months.

The largest example of experimentation might be Thomas Edison. Even though he was a genius, Edison approached new inventions with humility. He would identify every possible solution and then systematically test each one of them. According to one of his biographers, "Although he understood the theories of his day, he found them useless in solving unknown problems."

He took the approach to such an extreme that his competitor, Nikola Tesla, had this to say about the trial-and-error approach: "If [Edison] had a needle to find in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to be, he would proceed at once with the feverish diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search."

The power of the 5-hour rule: improvement rate

People who apply the 5-hour rule in the world of work have an advantage. The idea of deliberate practice versus just working hard is often confused. Also, most professionals focus on productivity and efficiency, not improvement rate. As a result, just five hours of deliberate learning a week can set you apart.

Billionaire entrepreneur Marc Andreessen poignantly talked about improvement rate in a recent interview. "I think the archetype/myth of the 22-year-old founder has been blown completely out of proportion… I think skill acquisition, literally the acquisition of skills and how to do things, is just dramatically underrated. People are overvaluing the value of just jumping into the deep-end of the pool, because like the reality is that people who jump into the deep end of the pool drown. Like, there's a reason why there are so many stories about Mark Zuckerberg. There aren't that many Mark Zuckerbergs. Most of them are still floating face down in the pool. And so, for most of us, it's a good idea to get skills."

Later in the interview he adds, "The really great CEOs, if you spend time with them, you would find this to be true of Mark [Zuckerberg] today or of any of the great CEOs of today or the past, they are really encyclopedic of their knowledge of how to run a company, and it's very hard to just intuit all of that in your early 20s. The path that makes much more sense for most people is to spend 5–10 years getting skills."

We should look at learning like we look at exercise.

We need to move beyond the cliche, "Life-long learning is good," and think more deeply about what the minimum amount of learning the average person should do per day in order to have a sustainable and successful career.

Just as we have minimum recommended dosages of vitamins, steps per day, and aerobic exercise for leading a healthy life physically, we should be more rigorous about how we as an information society think about the minimum doses of deliberate learning for leading a healthy life economically.

The long-term effects of NOT learning are just as insidious as the long-term effects of not having a healthy lifestyle. The CEO of AT&T makes this point loud and clear in an interview with the New York Times; he says that those who don't spend at least 5 to 10 hours a week learning online "will obsolete themselves with technology."

Interested in applying the 5-hour rule to your life?

There was too much information to fit in one article, so I spent dozens of hours and created a free, live masterclass to help you master your learning ritual too! In it, you will discover:

• How to find the time for reading and learning even if you are really busy and overwhelmed.
• How to stay consistent on using that 'found' time without procrastinating or falling prey to distraction.
• How to 10x the results you receive from each hour of learning.

Sign up for the free Learning How To Learn webinar here >>

Michael Simmons

Award-Winning Entrepreneur / Bestselling Author / Forbes Columnist / Co-Founder of @iEmpact / Blogger at http://t.co/T32xDLUBLJ

YOU CAN STEP UP

The world is changing and it's time to be your own boss.

Automation and outsourcing are evaporating the traditional 9-5. Job security, ever-increasing pay and benefits have gone out the window.

But being your own boss gives you incredible freedom. The day I told my old boss I wasn't coming back to the office prison ever again was the best day of my career.

And I'm more successful (mid 7-figure income and growing) than I ever was working a 9-5.

But let's back up.

As recent as 2012, I was freaking broke.

The empty wallet wasn't what sucked, it was the pain of feeling useless, insignificant, and unable to enjoy life.

When I made the choice to start an internet business, my income exploded, and I can now say I am an internet millionaire.

It's not difficult, and I'm going to tell you the most important keys to my success in a second.

There's a key distinction to be made here.

I had thought working a corporate job was the path to success, but I felt more like I was trapped in a comfortable prison.

The worst part of working a white-collar, 9-5 job is that it can feel comfortable.

For most 23-year-olds these days, I had the good life.

My job seemed okay, my apartment was decent, my car was alright, and it felt like if I just stuck with it, I might even get a promotion in a year or two and be able to save money (that long forgotten tradition).

...but I was burying my true feelings. I completely hated my life. I hated my job, I hated my boss, and I hated the fact that I was letting life happen TO me, as opposed to creating my own destiny.

I see many older people who lived that "comfortable" life - had a job for 40+ years, retire relatively broke (the way most people retire these days), and carry with them a million regrets of the things they should have done. I didn't want to end up that way.

Maybe you feel the same way?

**Hu$tle.**

I read a book called 'The 4 Hour Workweek' and decided to make a change in my life

I quickly realized that the only path that gave the FREEDOM and FINANCES that I wanted was having an internet-based business.

I was completely directionless about where to start though.

They say investing in yourself is the best investment you can make, but I can say that the hardest decision I can remember is when I decided to invest in my own education.

So I paid for a training course from my first mentor in 2012, and I had never come across such *real* information and discussions about doing business online ever before, and I could see the strategies were working for people.

**w€rkin' It**

I started stringing together wins, to the point where I could afford to attend some of the awesome events my mentor put together in places like Whistler, London, and Bangkok. Many people from those events ended up becoming friends.

What happened next was surreal.

2013: 473k. (whaaaa...? Yep, happened that quickly)

2014: Millionaire.

2015: 7-figure annual.

2016: On track for 5 million, and Forbes wrote an article about me

2017: Had my first child, and on track for 8-figures.

You used to need a complete miracle to go from broke to a millionaire in a few years. Turns out that miracle was the internet, and now anyone is capable of this.

So? What's the point of telling you all this?

First, I'll lay some huge keys to my early success, starting...now:

1. Read/learn voraciously

Knowledge and SKILLS are your most important assets in every situation.

Income opportunities come and go, but your brain stays with you forever.

If you spend your time chasing silver bullets, you can end up spinning your wheels for years without ever making any real progress.

However, if you spend your time learning valuable information, and building skills along the way, every day you will become that much stronger.

2. Find a mentor

The real turning point in my professional life was when I found someone who had successfully broke the corporate chains.

Knowing that this was possible for someone else fueled my competitive desire to be successful myself.

That competitive urge is powerful… LISTEN TO IT!

Tim Ferriss made me believe.

And my 'online business guru' Lorenzo showed me how to do it.

This brings me to my next point

3. Do EVERYTHING your mentor asks you to do

This is what I did with Tim Ferriss (internet business... automation... etc).

And this is how I learned to create an online business, from Lorenzo.

The rest is history as they say.

So what's the next step for you?

Register for my free webinar where I'll show you they key strategies behind what I do and how you can get started right away: http://jetset.money

Making the shift from being a corporate drone into an entrepreneur isn't an easy task.

And I remember just how scary it was when I made the leap.

Even buying that $47 training course by my mentor Lorenzo was an incredibly hard decision for me!

That's why I offer my webinar for free, so that you can see what's possible TODAY, without having to spend anything.

Register here: http://jetset.money

Take care,

John

P.S. - If you are interested in more information about working with my system and training under me as a student, send me a message.

P.P.S. Please share this post to motivate others! I want 2017 to be a turning point year for as many people as possible.