Maybe the reason you are not excelling is that you are playing the wrong game.

What is the right game? I have no idea what that game is for you. However, here  are some tale tell signs that you could be playing the wrong game.


1)  You don’t actually enjoy playing this game. Playing the game has become an obligation. You spend a good deal of the term thinking about things outside the game. It is not uncommon for you to spend considerable amounts of time looking at the stands. You envy those who are not playing the game with you.
2) You feel trapped in the game. You feel that you have to keep playing no matter what. You feel like a hamster running in the wheel There is no stopping. The game has become a critical part of your life. You can’t imagine your life without the game. But you know even if you stop playing, the game will go on.
3) Your game and your life have become interchangeable. The game is an important part of your life but like any game you play, you put away the playkit at the end of the day and start again tomorrow. You cannot live the game twenty four seven. There needs to be a start and stop regarding the game.
4) You don’t feel you are making any difference to anyone anything. Some people you play with don’t actually know what position you play in the game. You are a mystery man in the game.
5) The game adds to your stress each day. Each day there are more problems coming out of the game. You wonder and ask yourself, what will it take to enjoy the game.
6) The greatest moments are when you are not playing. This is very sad! The time spent away from the game should be a time to get much needed rest, regroup and refocus. However, being away from the game itself should be a great cause for celebration. While we are out of the game, we should ponder and reflect on how we are playing the game and see if anything else can be done.
7) The minute you start playing the game, you wish you could take a time out and you do anything to delay the game. You become known for being a slow player. No one can count on you when you are playing.
8)  You are playing for the wrong reasons. During the first days the game was great fun. You wanted to win so badly and you thought it would make you happy for as long as you played. Now you are just one miserable player in the game!
9) Mention of the game brings bad memories. Mention of the game to you is enough to spoil the day. The game is anything but fun for you. The game is drudgery. The game is discomfort.
Are you playing the right game? No one can really know the right game for you.

Reflection – Choose your crowd

No matter what, some people will pull you down,
The kind who insist on talking about the violent storms on a bright sunny day
Stay clear of these people
With a few words they set you back in your morale and self belief
Who begin to criticise even before they know what they are talking about.
Whose first sentence always begins with “No”, “But”,” Couldn’t”
Always focussing on the negative before anything and everything else.
Thank goodness others will energise you, keep you going!
You will get the affirmation you need just when the self doubt is starting to creep.
No that you must be surrounded by yes man
But those who criticise constructively, give hope, offer alternatives
do it without making you feel bad.
Choose who you mingle with,
Stay clear of people who send the wrong vibes,
The poison that will cloud anything.
People who see the worst in everything,
Who can bring nothing to anything.
Those who will reduce something to nothing.
Those who always  insist that you could have done better,
Those who increase your doubt in your ability
Better to play without any audience than before a rude and unappreciative one.
Choose your crowd.
Not everyone who can hear will listen
Not everyone wants to listen
Not everyone will care to appreciate.
But the crowd aside,
Be your own person without the crowd
Do not live to please the crowd otherwise your life will be crowded with trouble.
Be whole and complete without the affirmation of a crowd
Remain confident in spite of the crowd.
Choose your crowd.
BTM

Hope in contrast

The pressure is mounting,
but so is your resilience,
You want to frown
but there’s reason to smile,
Things are getting tough
but you getting tougher,
You gonna give up a little,
but gain a whole lot more.

You are making mistakes
but also getting the experience.
You are taking risks
but reaping the gains..
You made to be the fool,
but you are really the wiser.

Some think they are hurting you,
but they only making you stronger
Some will pull you down,
but you just keep popping up.

Yesterday is gone
but today is here
Today is going
but tomorrow awaits us,
The time is passing
but there is yet more time before us.

You feeling hopeless
but there’s much more to be hopeful about,
You are stumbling and falling
but only to rise again and keep going!
You want to stop
but you’ll keep going!
You want to give up
but you are going to make it.

BTM

Random thought – Late Starter (Part 1)

Don’t worry if you are late starter.
Who is taking stock of the times anyway?
Is this the Olympics or something?
Chances are you will go further that you expect
as you seek to make up for “lost” time.
Long after others have burnt out you will still be going
strong with great enthusiasm.
That solid foundation you set up while being late is now coming handy!
So go ahead and be late!
BTM

Motivational quotes

Looking for motivational quotes is quite motivational in itself. You get insights and thoughts that have been shared over the centuries. From observations made in daily life, in the laboratory, advice passed down the ages, problems that have been faced and overcome, the answered and unanswered questions in life, there is no limit to sources of motivational quotes. From the earliest philosophers, the sportsman, the wily politicians, the men and women of science, the writers, orators, the ordinary man going about his daily business,so many people and shave inspired us with their quotes. Today we share these nuggets of wisdom with others hoping to inspire them as well.

The challenges to coming up with effective motivational quotes include the following:

GOAL FIRMLY IN MIND
What do you plan to use your quotes for? Who is your target audience for the quotes? Is is a specific group of people, say your friends or is it everyone who has access to your writings? The goals can be varied from seeking to motivate, provoke thought to providing good humour for example.

THE RULES, THE GUIDELINES!
It is very important that you come up with your own rules and guidelines in quotes. It is easy to offend others given the diversity of thought, religions, cultures, political affiliation, ideals to mention but a few things. You can decide which issues or areas you will stay clear of. The last thing you want to do is provoke anger when you all you intended was to uplift and motivate.

SIEVE AND RATE
You will probably have to go through a number of quotes before you find one that is to your liking.
Sometimes you will need to read a large number of quotes before you come across something you really like or something that inspires you.

TRY AND BE ORIGINAL
Well this is not possible because these are not your words firstly. However, sometimes it is possible to come up with something that people have not heard before. There are some quotes out there that have not been used.

QUOTE ONCE
How do you ensure that you do not repeat quotes you have used in the past? Well, this can't be easy. Perhaps one way to go about it is to read and go over the quotes you intend to use a number of times. If quotes are picked and used hurriedly, the chances or repetition could also increase as you forget what you have quoted before.

GIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It's just fine that you didn't think of it first. Imagine how many people have lived before you and what they have said. Give them their due. Do not take someone else's words as your own.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT
Be open-minded in where you will get your quotes from. Do not limit yourself to books and printed material but even music, other art forms and fields of science. There is a lot story telling, poetry, motivational material that can be found in music, speeches.

READ WIDELY
Read as widely as possible. Motivational quotes can be found across several genres and types of written material from scientific to fictional material.

YOUR OWN WORDS
Every now and then you can break down your experiences and thoughts into your very words. Try and capture it in as few words as possible. Brevity is a virtue!

ENJOY!
Have fun enjoying the thoughts, the philosophy, the ideas and the quotes!

Have a wonderful day!
BTM

Random thoughts - Lessons from IAAF

I had the opportunity to watch the competitions in Berlin and made a few observations:

1. Stay in your own track till the end of the race
2. You are not going to run any faster by getting in someone else’s way
3. Spread out your energy appropriately over the entire race.
4. Join your counterparts in celebrating a good race.
5. Always seek to do better than your last race.
6. Don’t begin a marathon with a sprint. You cannot hope to win a sprint by jogging off the blogs.
7. Hold the baton well. If you drop it all the hard work will be a waste!
8. Don’t break the record in the heats. Rather wait for the finals. Makes more sense.
8. Finish well, finish strongly and finish with a flourish.

Have a great week. BTM

You? The CEO!

Are you the CEO in your life? If not who is running with your life strategy and executing it?

Who is setting the goals in your life and working towards achieving them?

Who is assessing progress in achieving the set goals?

Who is carrying out operations and tactics that are in line with set strategy and goals?

At the end of the day who is responsible for the success or failure of that life strategy?

You are CEO! You are the one!

BTM

New memories

Do not let memories of failure be the last memories you have,
You need new enduring memories!
Replace the old memories of succumbing with new memories of overcoming!
Out with the old that gets you down
And in with the new that gets you going!
BTM

Checks and Balances

Have you got the checks and balances in place in your life? What measures have you put in place to ensure that you will achieve the set goals and objectives? How often are you measuring your progress? How effective is the overall process to achieve your goals? BTM

Truth and elegance

If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. (Albert Einstein)

Let's get to the point ladies and gentlemen! BTM

No smiles available?

- Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available. ( Jim Beggs)

It's so easy to be angry and to frown yet so unnecessary much of the time.
It's interesting how expressions can get in the way of communication.
A frown will probably not set the best tone going forward.
Think about it,
Even when you are fuming and about to bang the table,
You just might want to smile instead.
BTM

Mediocrity

There is no room for mediocrity!

When we allow mediocrity to set in, we are saying it's fine to lower the bar.
It's fine to have lower standards.
It's acceptable to have less than the best.
Is this what we really want?
Is this message we want to convey to others and carry in our own hearts?
Is this to be our inspiration as we go through our days.
Certainly not!

We will fight to uphold the high standards,
Every step of the way we will give it our very best.
Indeed there is no room for mediocrity.
Not in this space, not anywhere really!