Archive for July 2013

The Power of Prayer for Business

Some integrate prayer in their work life and others avoid it. Here is a practical approach to harnessing the power of prayer regardless of your religious beliefs.
 

 
 
In Vietnam, i have read and have been impressed by the consistency of prayer and ritual in every shop or office. In any establishment, you will typically find a small altar with burning incense and offerings to Buddha and/or Cai Shen. It made me aware of my own use of prayer relating to my business, and my observation of others who do the same in Western culture.
I have certainly witnessed on many occasions the following prayers by people I know:
Praying to close that big deal.
Praying to make payroll at the end of the month.
Praying that your expensive new marketing campaign will work.
Praying your employees will get it right this time.
Praying your client won't see the big mistake you made.
Praying that something not so good happens to your competitors.


But real prayer is about focus and discipline, traits that have great relevance to daily business performance. People of any religion who pray regularly use the dedicated time and ritual to organize their thoughts and feelings. Those who do so daily find meditative value in clearing their mind and grounding their soul, so they can deal with people in a strong, calm, and centered manner. Daily prayer gives you the space to focus on what is really important and at the same time mentally and emotionally prepares you for what ever is coming your way, be it challenge or opportunity. (Hint: It's always both and sometimes in the same occurrence.)
You don't need to be a religious fanatic or even believe in a particular god to use prayer effectively in business. Here are some basic components:

1. Be Thankful

Whether it's God, Buddha, Mother Earth, Allah, Ganesh, the Force or even just the universe around you, express your gratitude for the many wonders of the world and the fact that you get to enjoy them every day.

2. Be Humble

Acknowledge that no matter how successful you are or how many people you employ, you are a small part of something bigger. Accept that your role has impact and requires commitment to make the world a better place.

3. Be Hopeful

There is nothing wrong or selfish about asking the universe for good things to come your way. Prayer connects you with powerful forces to improve your life. But recognize that the universe is not Santa Claus. Ask for that which you are ready to be worthy and deserving.

4. Be Open

So often what I think I want turns out not to be what I really need. And what's more, had I received my original desire, I would never have experienced the events in my life I now treasure most. The universe has its own way of answering prayers. Express that you are open and ready to accept whatever comes and make the most of it.
People ask me all the time if prayer has contributed to my success over the years. It has indeed helped me through challenging times and also helped focus me in abundant times.  Here is how to incorporate these prayer components into daily 10-minute ritual:
1. Begin with a powerful Hebrew prayer, which glorifies God and his kingdom (the world around me).
2. Express gratitude for nature, my health, my family, and my friends, wishing them peace, good health and happiness.
3. Say the following prayers related to business and goals:
Praised be God, who shows me opportunities, and gives me the courage, strength, and wisdom to pursue them to their fullest extent.
Praised be God, may you grant favorable results to my business, cash flow, and to all my deals and transactions.
Praised be God, may you support me in my pursuit of the Awesome Experience.
Prayer is obviously very personal and individual. For some, discussion of a religious subject is taboo when it comes to business. But you don't need to proselytize to benefit from faith and prayer in your daily business life. Just find 10 minutes a day by yourself to focus your soul and be at one with the universe.

Diamond Bank launches Branchless Banking on BankOne platform

London-listed Nigerian banking behemoth Diamond Bank has intensified its focus on delivering financial services to the under-banked in the informal sector by launching its “branchless banking” service on BankOne, a mobile banking application which allows instant account opening and registration. The application is designed and developed by AppZone, a fast-growing technology company. The integration of the branchless banking on the BankOne platform, will allow Diamond Bank acquire and easily migrate all mass market accounts and ensure customers get quality service.

 BankOne shall be deployed alongside Diamond Bank’s core banking platform to ensure an up-to-date record of customers using the new product plus a robust central accounting and reporting system. The pilot phase of this value-added service named ‘Beta Friends’ will involve the recruitment and deployment of agents to the streets of Lagos to promote the new product. These agents will be armed with mobile phones equipped with the BankOne mobile banking application which will enable them to open bank accounts on the field and also issue instant debit cards.
 This unique banking product is tailored to provide target customers with “branchless” access to basic financial services via more than 10,000 ATMs nationwide as well as through numerous mobile Agents. A range of value added services including Mobile Banking, Inter-Bank transfers, and bills payments are also available to customers. To facilitate this, Appzone has integrated the Bankone system into Diamond Bank’s core banking platform to enable real-time visibility of transactions as they occur on customer accounts and integration into Interswitch’s system to facilitate ATM access.
 The partnership between Diamond Bank and Appzone will lead to a significant surge in the number of accounts created for customers in the informal sector which in turn shall contribute to the Bank’s target of delivering quality financial services to customers in this sector of the economy. BankOne is the leading core-banking and electronic payments platform for microfinance and primary mortgage banks. BankOne’s parent company AppZone has partnerships with five commercial banks and two financial switches in Nigeria.


30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself



When you stop chasing the wrong things you give
the right things a chance to catch you.
As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
  1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
  2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
  3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. 
  4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
  5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
  6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
  7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
  8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
  9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
  10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. 
  11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
  12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
  13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
  14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
  15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
  16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
  17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
  18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
  19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
  20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
  21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
  22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
  23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.
  24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
  25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
  26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
  27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
  28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
  29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
  30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

 

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