The other day I told my friends that my wife had told me the four-letter word. I was very angry (or so I seemed). The look on my face made my friends to start shooting off at the mouth. When they asked me what I had done about it, I said that I had just looked on, amused.
“How dare you stomach such a woman If I were the one on the receiving end of the four-letter word, I would be in prison right now for murdering someone,” one of them told me.
Another one looked at me, and, with all the vehemence he could muster, said:
“I never knew I had a sissy for a friend. How dare you allow your wife to use the four-letter word – directed at you – to say the very least. You must show yourself a man and kick that woman out of your house.”
They ranted on until they were jaded to the bone, literally. I looked on silently and shook my head slowly as if considering all they were advising me.
I had to cut them short, for I was running late. I told them to calm down.
“Does any of you know what my wife told me? None of you asked me what she told me. My wife is a very loving woman and she always wishes the best for me,” I told them.
“She said ‘I love you’. Love is a four-letter word, is it not?”
Check out Bold statements of Yore
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
What’s it with these fundis?
There are some people in society that I have never understood. These are carpenters, tailors and radio & TV repairers. You have these people in your neighbourhood, don’t you?
These carpenters in my neighbourhood make very beautiful furniture for their clients. But one day I visited the house of one of them and I received the shock of my life. The vast room had only two wobbly stools. And there was one creaking bed at the corner. What’s it with this carpenter? I asked myself.
He caught my eyes roving from one corner of the room to the other, disapprovingly. He chuckled, cleared his throat and said:
“I know you are asking yourself why there is no good furniture here yet I make very good furniture for people. It’s not that I don’t have the money but that I take things for granted. I tell myself that I’ll do it tomorrow, but, as usual, my tomorrow never comes.”
He then drew me closer told me that all fundis are the same.
I decided to find out whether this was true. What I found out proved that my carpenter friend was right.
The tailor I visited does not have very good clothes for himself. Some of his trousers have patches. His children do not have good clothes. In fact one of them did not have the right school uniform. The dress was torn and tattered. The tailor could make a new dress for her but he hadn’t done so for two months!
I met another fundi the other day. This one came to my house. He was a computer repairer. I had asked him to come and check what was wrong with my computer and also to install new software.
As he was installing the software, selecting cds from his well-endowed, cd-laden bag, I quipped:
“Your personal computer must be a very lucky machine.”
“Why do you say so?” he asked.
“It must have the best programs that you install in other people’s machines. I believe it does not have problems with viruses, too. I believe it has the highest speed ever.”
He looked at me as I talked, and, when I was through, he said:
“If that is what you think about my computer then you must the most deluded man on earth. First of all, my computer is very slow. It also has problems with viruses. The only programs that it has are Microsoft Office and PowerDVD. The most basic of programs.”
I said nothing. When he had left, I was left wondering from which rock our fundis were hewn. What’s it with these fundis?
Do you have such people where you are?
Check out Bold statements of Yore
These carpenters in my neighbourhood make very beautiful furniture for their clients. But one day I visited the house of one of them and I received the shock of my life. The vast room had only two wobbly stools. And there was one creaking bed at the corner. What’s it with this carpenter? I asked myself.
He caught my eyes roving from one corner of the room to the other, disapprovingly. He chuckled, cleared his throat and said:
“I know you are asking yourself why there is no good furniture here yet I make very good furniture for people. It’s not that I don’t have the money but that I take things for granted. I tell myself that I’ll do it tomorrow, but, as usual, my tomorrow never comes.”
He then drew me closer told me that all fundis are the same.
I decided to find out whether this was true. What I found out proved that my carpenter friend was right.
The tailor I visited does not have very good clothes for himself. Some of his trousers have patches. His children do not have good clothes. In fact one of them did not have the right school uniform. The dress was torn and tattered. The tailor could make a new dress for her but he hadn’t done so for two months!
I met another fundi the other day. This one came to my house. He was a computer repairer. I had asked him to come and check what was wrong with my computer and also to install new software.
As he was installing the software, selecting cds from his well-endowed, cd-laden bag, I quipped:
“Your personal computer must be a very lucky machine.”
“Why do you say so?” he asked.
“It must have the best programs that you install in other people’s machines. I believe it does not have problems with viruses, too. I believe it has the highest speed ever.”
He looked at me as I talked, and, when I was through, he said:
“If that is what you think about my computer then you must the most deluded man on earth. First of all, my computer is very slow. It also has problems with viruses. The only programs that it has are Microsoft Office and PowerDVD. The most basic of programs.”
I said nothing. When he had left, I was left wondering from which rock our fundis were hewn. What’s it with these fundis?
Do you have such people where you are?
Check out Bold statements of Yore
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Marks of Motivated People
I have compiled what I believe to be marks of people who are motivated. Check them out:
1. They live disciplined lives. This is to mean they live Godly lives and put God first in everything they do.
2. They seek to succeed in everything they touch to do for God.
3. They are not lazy and do not tire or lose hope.
4. They do not neglect any area of their lives.
5. They do not sleep in their anger.
6. They do not let anger and bitterness bear the fruit of unforgiveness.
7. They do not let failure be a defeat. They know that they’ll stand once more.
8. They see obstacles/difficulties as opportunities of success.
9. They are creative in all that they do.
10. They are always alert to receive new ideas and knowledge.
11. They have a vision in life.
12. They can teach people new ideas that they have.
13. They look back to see the effects of the decisions they made in life.
14. They are practical and they know vision has to be translated into reality.
15. They are willing to stretch themselves, their bodies and their minds seeking to fulfill the will of God.
16. They are willing to step out and risk where necessary.
17. They are willing to change where necessary.
18. They are full of confidence in God knowing that He can do many things through them.
19. Their confidence in God gives them courage.
20. They are determined.
21. They know that God is with them
22. They are humble giving credit to God.
23. They don’t boast about their success.
24. They are patient.
25. They are good listeners and communicators.
26. They make important decisions after getting enough information.
27. They are trustworthy i.e. they are men of integrity.
28. They understand responsibility.
Do you know of any other marks of people who are motivated?
1. They live disciplined lives. This is to mean they live Godly lives and put God first in everything they do.
2. They seek to succeed in everything they touch to do for God.
3. They are not lazy and do not tire or lose hope.
4. They do not neglect any area of their lives.
5. They do not sleep in their anger.
6. They do not let anger and bitterness bear the fruit of unforgiveness.
7. They do not let failure be a defeat. They know that they’ll stand once more.
8. They see obstacles/difficulties as opportunities of success.
9. They are creative in all that they do.
10. They are always alert to receive new ideas and knowledge.
11. They have a vision in life.
12. They can teach people new ideas that they have.
13. They look back to see the effects of the decisions they made in life.
14. They are practical and they know vision has to be translated into reality.
15. They are willing to stretch themselves, their bodies and their minds seeking to fulfill the will of God.
16. They are willing to step out and risk where necessary.
17. They are willing to change where necessary.
18. They are full of confidence in God knowing that He can do many things through them.
19. Their confidence in God gives them courage.
20. They are determined.
21. They know that God is with them
22. They are humble giving credit to God.
23. They don’t boast about their success.
24. They are patient.
25. They are good listeners and communicators.
26. They make important decisions after getting enough information.
27. They are trustworthy i.e. they are men of integrity.
28. They understand responsibility.
Do you know of any other marks of people who are motivated?
Monday, December 08, 2008
People who expect you to exclaim “Oh!” in Awe
There are some people I talk to and after the talk I feel rejuvenated and uplifted. My self image is replenished and I feel I can move an extra mile. I honestly long for such sessions. Personally I know the people I should go to for “upliftment” and encouragement.
There are some other people who are out to deflate even the small bubble of self-image, confidence and self-esteem that one has. They are pure joy killers. I dread talking with such people for a long time for I know the end result is not always good.
I have had my fair share of experience at the “hands” of such people. I have been thoroughly smothered and squashed in their hands. If you don’t know that words are a potent tool and that you can be thoroughly squashed, then, you should have a session with such people. Or better still, you should have such people for friends.
These are people who come and tell you of their achievements and what they are planning to do to achieve their other goals. They tell you how much money they have saved up. Staggering figures, so to speak!
They tell you that they are planning to sell all their “old furniture” and stock their houses with new furniture using money from “an account specifically set up for that purpose”.
They say: “Do you know when I started saving for a new set of furniture? Ehe, you won’t believe it. I started saving the year before last.”
They proffer a piece of paper to you and say: “Here, have a look at this. This is the list of furniture that I am going to stock my house with.”
By the time they deliver their next “salvo”, your ears are numb. You realize that you have not spoken anything. You realize, too, that they have talked things that you had not asked details about.
Then, as a parting shot, they say: “Just give me two years and you’ll see how much I’ll have achieved by the end of that time. Just wait and see!”
Such kind of a “talk” (talk really! That’s a lecture. ) can deflate someone’s feeling of self-worth. Most of the people who boast in such a way, feel that they are better than other people. Thus they feel that they should be “noticed” because of their “remarkable achievements”.
These are the kind of people who don’t want to hear about your “achievements”. They feel that their “achievements” should excite all and sundry. They expect people to exclaim “Oh!” in awe as they tell of their “accomplishments”.
Phewt. What a world!
My Two Cents: Such people should realize that they are not the only people who inhabit the earth. They should also realize that they need other people to “achieve” what it is they expect to get at the end of the day.
They should temper their “boasting” with concern. They should be concerned what they are putting their listeners through. Sometimes I ask myself whether such people think that other people do not have goals and aspirations. Do they think that if you do not talk about what you have “accomplished”, you are worthless and have nothing to show for the time you have been on earth?
If three quarters of the people on the earth were such kind of people then our “collective orb” would be a mad place to live in. undesirable, even.
There are some other people who are out to deflate even the small bubble of self-image, confidence and self-esteem that one has. They are pure joy killers. I dread talking with such people for a long time for I know the end result is not always good.
I have had my fair share of experience at the “hands” of such people. I have been thoroughly smothered and squashed in their hands. If you don’t know that words are a potent tool and that you can be thoroughly squashed, then, you should have a session with such people. Or better still, you should have such people for friends.
These are people who come and tell you of their achievements and what they are planning to do to achieve their other goals. They tell you how much money they have saved up. Staggering figures, so to speak!
They tell you that they are planning to sell all their “old furniture” and stock their houses with new furniture using money from “an account specifically set up for that purpose”.
They say: “Do you know when I started saving for a new set of furniture? Ehe, you won’t believe it. I started saving the year before last.”
They proffer a piece of paper to you and say: “Here, have a look at this. This is the list of furniture that I am going to stock my house with.”
By the time they deliver their next “salvo”, your ears are numb. You realize that you have not spoken anything. You realize, too, that they have talked things that you had not asked details about.
Then, as a parting shot, they say: “Just give me two years and you’ll see how much I’ll have achieved by the end of that time. Just wait and see!”
Such kind of a “talk” (talk really! That’s a lecture. ) can deflate someone’s feeling of self-worth. Most of the people who boast in such a way, feel that they are better than other people. Thus they feel that they should be “noticed” because of their “remarkable achievements”.
These are the kind of people who don’t want to hear about your “achievements”. They feel that their “achievements” should excite all and sundry. They expect people to exclaim “Oh!” in awe as they tell of their “accomplishments”.
Phewt. What a world!
My Two Cents: Such people should realize that they are not the only people who inhabit the earth. They should also realize that they need other people to “achieve” what it is they expect to get at the end of the day.
They should temper their “boasting” with concern. They should be concerned what they are putting their listeners through. Sometimes I ask myself whether such people think that other people do not have goals and aspirations. Do they think that if you do not talk about what you have “accomplished”, you are worthless and have nothing to show for the time you have been on earth?
If three quarters of the people on the earth were such kind of people then our “collective orb” would be a mad place to live in. undesirable, even.
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