Thursday, November 24, 2011

Self Improvement

While acknowledging the fact that we are all different I think it is safe to think we're looking for the same thing in life. That is improvement, improvement with your fincances, with your social life( If you have one) and mostly - the way your life is led by yourself. We all seek that improvement; self improvement.

Well for me I think the most important factor in this regards is how you look at yourself and what form of perception about yourself do you formulate when you think of yourself. How much impact do you think you can make in life and what are the biggest steps that you think you can make in order to succeed. All these are questions that  I think can make a difference in the way that you see yourself.

here is what I have read from the entrepreneur online magazine http://www.entrepreneurmag.co.za/ I hope it will all make sense to you just as it has to me.

The Misconceptions of Success

By Femi Adebanji  Understanding what success means – and what it doesn’t mean.


There are a number of major misconceptions regarding success, especially when it pertains to wealth, and these misconceptions can act as potential stumbling blocks to one’s ability to achieve financial success. Understanding and addressing these misconceptions is key if one is to develop the right mental attitude that is crucial for success.

Myth 1: You need money to make money

Firstly, there is the widely held misconception to make money; you already need to have money. While this may be true in some circumstances, one could also pose the counter argument that there are numerous cases of entrepreneurs  who have built successful business empires by starting virtually from scratch with little or no funds and are where they are today simply as a result of their determination and vision.
This misconception is so pervasive that it stops many people from even attempting to pursue their dreams because they truly believe that they need to accumulate the amount of money they need first before acting on their ideas. This causes so many to delay that often times the idea fizzles out, and  by the time they get to implementing their ideas, it is already too late and someone else has already  ran with the idea. If you have a dream, vision, idea or goal start from where you are and do something daily towards the attainment of that goal. The significant success factor for any goal is not money but rather creativity and determination. Once you get the ball rolling, you will be amazed at how the pieces will begin to fall in place. Determination not money is the more valuable currency that is vital to the accomplishment of any goal,

Myth 2: The ability to amass wealth is limited to a few

Secondly, there is the mistaken belief that the ability to amass wealth is limited only to the select few that are highly intelligent, privileged and well-educated. This is completely untrue. Conduct a quick analysis of the most successful people in the world and you will find that they come from all walks of life. Aside from commitment and belief, the only things they have in common is that they have nothing in common. Success is no respecter of creed, race or circumstance. Some of the richest people in the world never even completed high school not to mention attaining a university degree or diploma.  Some of them started from nothing, with nothing, while many of them could be considered people of average intelligence. However, what they lacked for in ‘high IQ’ was more than compensated for by their belief, motivation and determination.

Myth 3: Success requires luck

Finally, there is the misconception that to be successful, you have to have luck on your side. Yes, some people where at the right place at the right time; unfortunately, such people constitute a tiny fraction. Many successful entrepreneurs have had to work at their vision sometimes for years until their goals were achieved. By and large, most successful people have had to be committed and apply themselves consistently for many years to get to where they are. In life, the harder you work and the more committed you are, the luckier you get.
The misconceptions regarding success prevent us from becoming who we need to become to achieve the goals we desire to achieve in our lives. Often times, what starts out as a misconception, evolves into a subconscious justification for our inaction and eventually the death of our dreams.
The question is whether or not we are willing to become more – mentally, emotionally and physically, in order to achieve more out of life. To achieve profound success, we must push past the misconceptions and focus only on becoming who we need to be in order to have what we need to have.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Black Tuesday

I have seen quite a number of responses regarding Black Tuesday and I feel the need to understand why this is. Firstly I for one do not know what it stands for and yet i think it is days like this one that we need in this new democracy.



I have been reading on the Protection of information Bill that is proposed by Government and I really think it should not be passed. This why - Firstly it will automatically put people who are trying to speak out about corruption, Honest people in jail. Secondly it makes me want to ask "what the hell is the govenment trying to hide?"
Ok ,ok I might not be a journo or something but I am a citizen of this country and I want to know what the government is doing behind my back with my tax money. On top of my questions is the fact that the Scopions were disdanded so that this secrecy bill can be enacted?
I see a trend here:

Fisrt - They disband the Scopions ( Highly effective Crime fighting tool) For what?
Secondly - Govenment officials and ANC high and  mighty people get involved in unorthodox situations
Thirdly - The high and mighty people now want to criminalise people who are going to uncover thier soiled tracks.
Fourthly - Reopen the Arms deal enquiry (To shut us up because everything has been swept under the capert already (who knows?))
and the Final step to the What you call it - Enact the protection of information bill

Protection of information - Protection from who and for what?
What happened to Free media? After all isn't this the very thing our fathers (the people who now gorven us) fought for?

Mandeep Tiwana, Policy Manager, CIVICUS in his article says:

"The bill contains draconian punishments ranging up to 25 years imprisonment for a host of offences, including obtaining, possessing, intercepting and disclosing classified information. It empowers the State Security Minister to categorise as classified a vast array of information - not only about government departments but also about independent commissions, municipal and local councils as well as community development forums

Furthermore, information is also prevented from reaching the pubic sphere through empowering departmental heads to devise internal policies, directives and categories to classify and declassify information. Notably, disclosure of information is barred in the interests of “national security,” defined through a long-winded omnibus provision, a potentially formidable barrier against the release of information exposing official corruption and mismanagement" (http://www.civicus.org/ accessed on the 22 November 2011)
News on this issue:

- Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said the bill is flawed and insulting to South Africans, while former cabinet minister Jay Naidoo said he is deeply disturbed by the battering ram approach to the proposed legislation.

Tutu said people in this country should not be asked to stomach legislation that could be used to outlaw whistleblowing and investigative journalism. Eye witness news


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The Protection of State Information Bill (POIB) has huge constitutional implications and should not be passed in its current form, the Right2Know Campaign said on Tuesday.  IOL




Is this what the bill means? Does it mean that someone sitting on a chair at some govenment office will decide what I will read?

I have not read the whole proposed bill but I can tell you this - I think it is a JOKE and BIG ONE.

President Zuma et al. Please do something about this DO NOT PASS THE BILL.