Three Solutions to the Problem of Illegal Immigration

More than a decade ago I stood in the office of the head of the geology department at the University of Texas at Dallas wondering how I was going to pay my tuition. I was a newly arrived international student with little money and had come with the expectation of working and going to school. Oh boy was I wrong! During orientation we had been told that we could only work on campus and will have to be in school for a year before we can apply to work off campus, if we ran into economic hardship. For example, if your sponsor dies or some catastrophic event impacted the source of your funding. One year was too far for me and even if I got a job on campus the pay was close to minimum wage and that would not have made a dent in my tuition. The temptation to drop out of school and start working illegally became very strong, but I resisted. We are living at time when according to some estimates between 12 to 20 million people may be in the United States of America illegally. We may go about our day to day activities as if nothing is happening or we can learn more about the plight of illegal immigrants and do something about it. This problem is a ticking bomb that can explode at any time and the shrapnel will leave carnage on its way and nobody will be spared. Saying the problem of illegal immigration is too completed is not an excuse for inaction. I am proposing the following three solutions to address the issue of illegal immigrants.

1) Do nothing. This is the most appealing option and the country has gone down this road for more than two decades. The assumption is that if you ignore the problem it will go away. Unfortunately the can is being kicked down the road for future generations to deal with. This particular solution in the short run is the easiest, but the ramifications are quite far reaching. Take for example, there are millions of would be tax payers that are living in the shadows of the society. They are having kids and unfortunately they cannot participate in raising these children like other families are doing. The fear of deportation keeps them away from PTA meetings and other social gatherings. If there children are struggling in school it will be difficult to intervene promptly. This implies that some of these children may drop out of school and their full potential will not be reached. They may end up depending on the government to take care of them. We as a country cannot afford to kick this can down to the next generation. It is in our best interest to ensure that everybody living here has equal access to resources that will help them maximize their potential. When everybody is functioning at full capacity, the entire nation will benefit. 2) Depot all the illegal immigrants. I hear this one a lot. People make it sound as easy as eating a piece of cake. Just round up all these millions of people some of which have lived here for more than twenty years and send them back to where they came originally. Deportation may sound straight forward and neat, but you have to take into consideration that some of these illegal immigrants have kids who are American citizens and will need their parents to raise them. Some have suggested that entire families be deported to keep the families together. These Families that have kids who are American citizens will raise the kids out of the country. When the kids become adults they can move back to the United States without their parents. This is not a good idea; you do not solve a problem by creating another. It is not the fault of the kids that their parents came to the United States illegally. These children are citizens and have the right to be raise in the country as well. 3) Declare an amnesty. A unilateral declaration of amnesty without securing the bothers, overhauling the immigration system and punishing the law breakers is an insult to those who are here legally. All the millions of illegal immigrants have broken federal immigration laws and letting them go for free is a travesty of justice. If we can incarcerate people for possessing a few grams of marijuana, it is an indication that we take our laws seriously. Nobody is above the law and nobody should break the law with impunity and get rewarded for doing so. America is strong because nobody is above the law; this is not the case in many parts of the world. A strong message has to be sent to would be immigrants that laws in America have be respected at all times and by all. When people break laws there is a penalty, either you pay a fine or serve jail time. In the case of the illegal immigrants it is not feasible to jail more than 12 million people, for the prison system is already overcrowded. The only option is to ask all the illegals to pay a fine, which will then place them on a path to citizenship. Through the process they too will learn to stand in line and take their turn.

I wrote this article to encourage you to join the conversation about the plight of illegal immigrants and the impact it is having and will continue to have on this nation. Call your congressman or woman and the senators representing your state. Email them, fax them, write do anything you can to ensure that they take up this issue and resolve it. The cost of not doing anything is going to be great. For the sake of the next generation let your voice be heard in this matter.

Faith is more than talk, you got to act

Every great river always begins with a small spring and the great oceans are simply a collection of single drops of rain. Starting small and growing with time is the natural way to do things, even Christ had to be born as a baby before he redeemed us. Saying all these to buttress the point that we have to keep going one step at a time and a few years from today when you look behind you will be amazed by how much you have accomplished. Discouragement is expected, but the outcome is how we respond and react to it. Let the fear of failure be an incentive to do it anyway After all you can chose to fall forward, instead of backwards. Your learn from your mistake and get it right the next time. If you give up, that is when you truly fail. There is nothing new under the sun. The universe contains an uncountable number of stars, yet each start has it's place. You have your place, it does no matter what else is already in the market place, as long as you remain true to your self and let your uniqueness come through your work, you will be successful. Keep up with what you have set up your mind to do, one day at a time, one step at a time and you will get to your final destination. The competition is not against others, it is against yourself. How much you believe that you have what it takes to accomplish the task ahead of you is a gazillion times more important than what others have done are doing and will do. If you know you have what it takes and believe that you can do it, you are a winner.

One secret that will set you apart at all times!

Take a moment an ponder upon some of the difficulties and challenges you have been through and think about what kept you going in the midst of hardship and calamities. Turn on your TV and listen to the news and you will have a good dose of “bad news”. There seems to be no end to unnecessary killings, wars and epidemics. Right now you maybe in a season of your life where everything is going on well and you are facing no life threatening situation. If that is the case you may have to pass this to somebody who needs it. No matter how much we try to avoid pain, disappointments and betrayal, things keep going out of control. Occasionally we have fleeting moments when we think we have had everything figured out and brought things under control, just to see things slip out of our hands, leaving us helpless and out of control. We are constantly looking for a quick fix to easy our pain and take us out of our predicament. The issue of pain, suffering and death has troubled humans for a long time. Some deal with it by trying to ignore it. Some numb their pain with chemical substances and others give up on life altogether. Job who lost all his livestock on a single day and his seven children had this to say, “A person who is born of a woman is short-lived and is full of trouble.” In other words suffering, pain, afflictions are a given to all who are born of woman. This implies there is no exception. Since nobody is left out, it makes sense to figure out how to deal with life’s challenges, difficulties misfortunes, setbacks etc. One of the most efficient ways to deal with suffering and pain is to understand the following 1) Life is tough. This is a simple truth that will set you apart at all times and under any circumstance. As John Cash said, Life is rough so you gotta be tough.” Life is difficult! That’s it! The sooner you accept this, the better and more equipped you will be to handle whatever is thrown at you. Remember that you started life with a cry and not a smile. Accepting that life is difficult will toughen you psychologically, mentally and emotionally. This will enable you to face whatever comes your way with courage, resolve and bravery. Let me know what you think about the suggestion that accepting that life is difficult is a secret that will set you apart at all times.

20 Reasons Joseph could have given if he committed adultery with Potiphar’s wife

We all know about the story of Joseph recorded in the following passage …7It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 8But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. 9"There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” 10 As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside 12 She caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me!" And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside..…Genesis 39:7-12 We live in a day and age when it is not easy to hear people justify anything under the pretext of, it is complicated, it is a grey issue, it is difficult. When people are hard pressed, they fight back with you do not understand, you have never been in my situation, you do not know what you are talking about. Unfortunately they do not mention God and what God’s word is saying concerning the situation. We have come up with a gazillion reasons to justify disobeying God. Joseph will be justified if he committed adultery with Potiphar’s wife because of the following reasons; 1) Joseph was far away from home, sold by his brothers why did God allow this bad thing to happen to him? 2) Joseph had no support of the local church. He was all alone in the house of Potiphar and there were no other people there that were worshiping God. 3) He was living in a culture that was occupied in worshiping idols and it would have been Ok for him to sleep with his mater’s wife. 4) There was no regular Bible study for Joseph to be reminded of what God’s law required of him. 5) He was lonely and home sick and the companionship of his maters wife would have been a good distraction. 6) His master was gone most of the time and his wife was lonely and need somebody to be with her. 7) She was he mistress and had power over him, for Joseph was a slave and had no rights whatsoever. 8) Joseph would be justified for it is his mistress that came up with the proposal. She is the one that insisted. Joseph would have said, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. My mistress has given me an instruction and I am just obeying orders. I am a slave and all I have to do is to obey. 9) Joseph was in charge of everything and adding his mistress to the list of responsibilities would have been just a call to duty. 10) To be the captain of the Guard his master Potiphar had to give up his manhood. In order words, he could not perform sexually. Therefore his wife had legitimate sexual needs that had to be met. 11) Out of compassion and pity for his starved mistress Joseph could have met her needs. What is wrong in meeting a genuine need? 12) There was nobody in the house the day his mistress grabbed him. This implies nobody will know about it. 13) Joseph was minding his own business and this woman kept asking in day in day out for him to go to be with him. He did not dress in a compromising way, he did not tempt the woman, but she kept bogging him. He could not leave the house because he was a slave. 14) Joseph was young, handsome and had sexual emotions that needed to be satisfied, for he had no wife at that time. 15) Sleeping with his mistress would have empowered him the more and it will feel good as well. 16) Who know he might have gained is freedom, because now that he is meeting his mistress needs she can talk with his master to release him. 17) Joseph had no mentors or role models to help him out. 18) God will forgive him after he sins for God understands. 19) The temptation was too much for this young man. 20) Others were doing the same thing. We give many reasons why we do the things we do. We convince ourselves and those around us why it is OK to disobey God. For example, I needed that Job so badly that I have to lie on my resume; I had to sleep with that man or woman. Joseph had every reason under the sun to disobey God, but he chose to obey God. He knew sleeping with his master’s wife was a SIN before God and it not a good thing to disobey God. Read the word, read the word, read the word and do not force the word to fit your situation. Most of the time we want the word to say what we want to hear this will get us into trouble. May God help us to obey him!

The fastest easiest and surest way to have a bountiful harvest without sowing

Is it possible to harvest without sowing? This question came in my mind this afternoon as I harvested fresh veggies from the garden. I was pondering on the law of sowing and reaping and how it impacts every area of our lives, and how many times people try to circumvent this law, because they do not want to go through the process. In other words they want a bountiful harvest without sowing. The process of sowing seeds, nurturing, and caring for the plants and waiting for a harvest is too long, too complicated and too demanding. The lure of making it quick and rising to sudden riches and fame is extremely attractive and appealing to many. The desire to get promoted and get to the top of the corporate ladder with speed has the propensity to cause many to neglect the law of reaping and sowing. Tight budgets and the desire to cut cost pushes some people to cut corners and the results are not always desirable.

There is a push for a silver bullet that will get rid of the process involved in achieving a long lasting relationship with a spouse, raising successful kids, owning and maintaining a successful business. This is because the process is not appealing, for it involves hard work, dedication, determination, perseverance and waiting. For example the veggies I am harvesting this afternoon were nursed in August and the young plants transplanted in September. For the past two months, I watered and removed the weeds and ensured that bugs did not get the veggies before me. This means that after a long day, I had to go to the garden in the evening and check on the plants, no matter who I felt. Now is harvest time and I can joyfully reap what I sowed.

The joy of harvesting is more than the pain, inconveniences and hard worked required to sow. What then is the fastest easiest and surest way to have a bountiful harvest without sowing?

Hmmm! Harvesting from other people’s plots is equal to stealing if I am not mistaken. Stealing is fast, quick and immediate, but the consequences when caught are undesirable. You may say, I will always go free; many are doing it and have never gotten into any trouble whatsoever. You are partially correct. But Paul the Apostle said, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows”. It is possible to reap without sowing, but in the process you are sowing bad seed that will eventually yield bad fruit. For example fraud scandals like what happened in Enron are a sobering reminder that the law of reaping and sowing is well and a live and should not be broken no matter what.

Therefore each day is an opportunity, to sow good seeds, in your business, job, relationships, kids, neighbors, colleagues and all you come across. This will require patience, perseverance, long sufferance, peace, joy and hope. As such the fastest easiest and surest way to have a bountiful harvest without sowing is an illusion and should not be pursued by anybody that wants sustainable and long lasting success.

Making more than lemonades with the stuff that is thrown at you

You must have heard that "bad things" happened to good people. This is part of the truth. The whole truth is that your response to whatever happens to you is the ultimate determinant of the outcome you get. You are not a victim, even if you have been told so and you feel so. You have the power to choose the right response. Do it and walk in the new opportunity that is always hiding behind the seemingly "bad situation." This is not a denial of the existence of evil, but a bold move to rob evil of its power and control over your life. If a seed had the ability to speak, it will scream when it is deprived of the comfort, warmth and security in the house, when it is being taken out of the house for planting. When the seed is being taken out of the house, if it could, it will be kicking and screaming for nobody wants to die. The seed will be justified if it complained about the terrible conditions that are associated with being buried in the dark under heavy soil for a couple of days and left to rot and die. But the seed knows better not to cream and kick. It knows that the comfort and warmth on the self is extremely limiting. It is safe and comfortable, but it is preventing the tree in the seed from coming out.

The seed understands that getting out of its comfort zone, is the only way for its full potential to be realized. Yes! It is dark, uncomfortable and extremely dangerous outside, but these are the condition for innovation and breakthrough. The seed understands that there are two sides to every coin and both sides make the coin complete. Life and death make a whole. The seed MUST die to live. It must give up its present life for a bigger and better life. It is in the dark and lonely place that this transformation takes place. As Jesus of Nazareth said, “I can guarantee this truth: A single grain of wheat doesn't produce anything unless it is planted in the ground and dies. If it dies, it will produce a lot of grain. This partially explains why life sometimes throws “stones, lemons, bricks, sticks and other things at us. These life changing events come suddenly and without warning and unexpectedly. These circumstances are meant to “kill” us, make us uncomfortable, stretch us, and push the seed in us to grow. The only difference between you and those who make it is that they make a choice to use whatever is thrown at them as building blocks. They make a foundation out of the stones and rocks. The bricks are used to build the walls of the house and the sticks for the roof. The lemons are used to make lemonade to quench their taste as the labor under these difficult circumstances. Those who get anything done are those who have also learned to use the trails and difficulties that come their way. Start making lemonade with the lemons that are being thrown at you. This is done by As I have already said, this is not a denial of the existence of evil, but a bold move to rob evil of its power and control over your life.

Local nurse concerned about Ebola as coworker returns to hospita - WCBD-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Charleston, SC

Local nurse concerned about Ebola as coworker returns to hospita - WCBD-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Charleston, SC

The upside of excuses

This evening as I was doing the dishes, I started thinking of all the excuses for not writing this post. Top on the list was lack of time and tiredness. This was followed by nobody is going to read what I will write, for nobody knows me. Another “good” one was, it is a waste of time there are more qualified and famous people out there already doing an excellent job of motivating and encouraging people. Therefore there is no point in wasting people’s time. You will be surprised by how long the list will get if I continue, but I am writing because I decided to say NO to all these excuses. What about you? What are some of the excuses you give for not getting the job done? What are some of the excuses you give for not leveraging your full potential? What are some of the excuses you give for not pursuing that new business idea or that invention? What is preventing you from lunching that new product line? What is preventing you from travelling to another country? Excuses, excuses, excuses, Everybody gives them The rich, the poor; The young and old, Everybody has excuses. The only upside of excuses is that they keep you where you, but prevent you from being where you desire to be. They rob you of all that might be and keep you bound in fear and defeat. Each time you start giving excuses, know an opportunity for growth is at the corner. Life is tough and growing is even tougher. The only difference between you and those who grow is that they have learned to say NO to their excuses, no matter how good they are. Let excuses spur you to do something counter to them. I said no to my excuses and wrote these few words this evening and I am glad I did. Focusing on your excuses will rob you of all the infinite outcomes that might result if you do something. Remember there is always going to be somebody out there that will out smart you, but that does not mean that you have not out smart others. Keep doing and stop giving excuses for there is no GOOD excuse, no matter how well sounding it may be. Excuses are missed opportunities, stop giving, and instead let them be a catalyst for growth. If this helped you, I will like to know about some of the excuses that you have and how this has impacted your life. Thank you for sharing.

You can help stop the Ebola stigma and panic

This morning on my way to work, I turned on the radio and heard that a second nurse who took care of the patient with the first case of Ebola in the United states of America has come down with Ebola. During lunch at work as we eat, Ebola was one of the main subjects that came up in our discussion. Somebody asked why air travel around the globe cannot be banned until this situation is brought under control. Others talked of the lack of trust in the government’s ability to properly inform the public. There is a potential for panic! You can help by getting informed and staying informed with the updates. Engage other people and initiate the conversation about Ebola. If they have fears calm their fears with facts. We know Ebola is a deadly disease, but with the right protective gear it can be prevented. Those that have it are not outcast, or committed a crime and should not be blamed or stigmatized.

An article I read in the New York Times today made me extremely uncomfortable and ashamed at the treatment Sierra Leone’s national team has received in some African countries. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/sports/soccer/sierra-leones-soccer-team-struggles-with-stigma-over-ebola-outbreak.html The stigmatization is pushing the players to start dong the unthinking able. For example, one of the players said, “When people asked if we were from Sierra Leone, we’d deny it,” Lahoud, who plays for Philadelphia’s M.L.S. team, said in a telephone interview. “We felt it was for our protection.” I do not support this attitude, but the way we can defeat it is by taking away the stigma associated with this disease. Taking away the stigma from Ebola will “knock off the wind from its sails” and it will be eventually defeated. • It will prevent people from covering up when they fall sick. • It will encourage people to seek medical attention immediately. • People will immediately go into quarantine and avoid spreading the virus to others. We cannot afford to let fear push us to the point where we resort to stigmatization for comfort. Together we can show compassion, we can educate others, we can keep the conversation going. Ebola has become a global issue and needs all of us to put an end to it.

You can help stop the Spread of EBOLA

You can help stop the Spread of EBOLA

You can help stop the Spread of EBOLA

You may be wondering why, I am asking you to join in the effort to curb the spread of the Ebola virus. Read on, you are going to find out! Information is one of the greatest weapons to combat any treat. The more you know about something the greater your chances of dealing with it adequately. My son came back from school yesterday and told me he was being taunted that he has Ebola. This is absurd and unacceptable, but his school mates think since his parents are from Africa, that means Ebola is here. We live in Dallas and the first Ebola patient in the city died last Wednesday and one of the nurses that took care of the patient has come down with Ebola. On my way to work this Friday, I turned on the radio and somebody was saying that his annual trip to Dallas to watch the Dallas Cow Boy Football game had been cancelled, because of fear of contacting Ebola. Another man said, he was coming to from out of state for a job interview, but have not told his mother of his travel plans because she will be extremely worried. You can help stop the spread of Ebola by: 1) Learn the facts about the disease. The more you know the better and it will help stop the panic, stereotypes and fear. In addition it will make you safer and those around you, for all of you will be acting based on the right information. Ebola is not an airborne disease, you must come in contact with bodily fluids of the infected person to get infected. African has more than 1.1 billion people and so far unfortunately 4000 people have been killed by the virus. 2) Share the information with your love ones, colleague and all who care to listen. Focus on passing on the facts and not rumors. 3) Discourage people from stereotyping Africans. The fact that somebody is black or from Africa does not mean that they have Ebola. You cannot tell if somebody has Ebola by looking at the color of their skin. Only laboratory tests can determine if somebody has Ebola or not. Spread the word and together we are going to stop the spread of Ebola.

Ebola outbreak this may help!

The present outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is making news headlines across the globe. The fear of this virus spreading globally has been heightened by Eric Duncan who travelled from Liberia to Dallas Texas to reunite with his girlfriend. Apparently he showed no symptoms of the disease and was not sick when he boarded the plane for the United States of America. But when he arrived the U.S. he fell sick and eventually died. His was the first case of the Ebola virus diagnosed in the U.S. and also the first death recorded as well. Another Liberian boarded a plane to Nigeria and introduced the first Ebola case in Nigeria and the first death there as well. Globalization is here to stay and journeys that used to take months take a few hours now. We are getting more and more connected than ever before. Something like this recent Ebola outbreak is raising fear and concern across the globe. This fear can be overcome since one of the greatest antidotes of fear is information. That is why we who are living in a global world have to make an effort to start understanding where other people are coming from. You may already know all this facts about Africa. If you do, please pass it to others and help clam their fears. 1) Africa is a continent not a single country. It has 54 sovereign countries and the youngest of them is South Sudan which was established in 2011. In fact Africa is 11.63 million sq. miles and the United States of America in 3.794 million Sq. miles. This implies that the African continent is 3 times bigger than the entire Unites States of America. And the Ebola virus is not rapidly spreading across these waste land as some may assume.

2) African is inhabited by more than 1.1 billion people and the population is projected to be over 2 billion by 2050. A tiny fraction of this population has been exposed to the Ebola virus.

3) The current Ebola outbreak has affected a few countries about 7%. This leaves 93 % of the continent Ebola free. Therefore the entire African continent has not been ravished by the Ebola virus as some fear.

Nothing is wasted, even the good, the bad and the ugly!

This morning I was reading an easy by Ramin Jahanbegloo, an Iranian-Canadian scholar who spent more than 100 days in an Iran prison after he was picked at the airport about to board a plane on his way to Brussels and the following profound statement made by him set me thinking. He said, “All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art." It is easy for us to discount those things that we consider “bad” when shaping our art. This should not be the case, since this approach robs us of good that comes out of the “bad” things that happen to us. I am not endorsing evil here nor am I saying that we go out and try to do bad things so that good will come out of it. What I am saying is that, life happens and at times things do not go the way we desire. Things get bad and at times become extremely ugly. Unfortunately bad news sells, that is why we are bombarded by bad news 24/7. We become trapped by fear and worry of the bad things that may befall us. This is an unfortunate development because we have a hard time seeing beyond the bad and the ugly. True freedom comes when you come to the understanding that the good, the bad and the ugly are all raw materials that will be used to shape and form the reality you desire. Life no longer becomes an effort geared towards avoiding pain at all cost, but you begin to embrace every aspect of your life. If the stock market crashes, it is an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and avoid making them next time. It is not time to jump off a tall building and break your skull. You may be fired from your job. What the heck? Some doors close so that others will open. I have not said, I understand all what people are going through, but I know one thing based on what Paul the Apostle said, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” It says ALL things work together for the GOOD. That is why a young man who had all the power and ability to escape the Roman cross willingly died on the cross. He was just 33 years, had not yet married and was only three and a half years on the job when His life was cut short. At the prime of His life he lost everything because of false accusations and jealousy. He was stripped of His clothes and crucified like a criminal even though the presiding judge could not find anything wrong that he had done. What did he do to deserve such a gruesome death? All did not end when He died. He rose after three days and today billions find, peace, hope, inspiration and motivation in Him. The question of suffering has plague mankind for millennial and I am not trying to brush that under the rug, but what I know is that nothing is wasted, even the good, the bad and the ugly serve a purpose.

Three reasons why sharing your story is crucial

I receive a twit this morning that prompted me to write this. Let me paraphrase the twitter feed. It said something in the line of 80% of the people you meet do not share their stories, because they are afraid other people will not understand. In other words, people will misunderstand, ridicule, shame and condemn them. These are legitimate fears that have to be taken into consideration. That said, fear is usually a symptom of something deeper. You should not let fear rob you of the benefits of sharing your stories with others that you met. The assumption here is that the timing is appropriate and the right approach is used to tell your stories to others. Consider that the benefits of telling your stories far outweigh the perceived disadvantages mentioned above. The following three reasons should spur you to share your story, or stories more often 1) No two stories are the same. We may all go through the same situation, but our uniqueness will come through when we tell our story. You are the only person best suited to tell your own story. Therefore find your voice and let your story be heard. You are part of the human family and will be amazed by how much we all share in common. 2) Everybody that you meet is going through something. There is nobody without an issue they are dealing with. Your story is a powerful reminder of the fact that life is difficult and involves ups and downs. Our stories are not limited to success alone; they should be an embodiment of all what we have been through. Somebody will be encouraged, inspired and motivated to hang in there when they hear your story, so tell it! In the picture below I am standing in front of my sixth grade classroom. The story here is that we made the most with what we had to study and today we are having this conversation. This speaks to the resilience of the human spirit and how focusing on what you have and not on what you do have will keep you going.

3) Telling your story will make you stronger and more appreciative. When you tell your stories, you will realize that other people are a part of them. The idea of a self-made individual is a myth. Even entrepreneurs needed people to work for them to make their ideas see the light of day. Paying people to work for you, or render a service to you does not mean you have paid them out of your story. These people are part of your story and will forever be. When you tell your stories to others, you are remaindered that, you had victory in the past and will be victorious in the future. Above you begin to listen to the stories of others and learn from them. This is because when you tell your story it will eventually make others to start telling their own stories. As King Solomon said, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. Share those stories and let them encourage, inspire and motivate others and you too will be inspired and motivated as well.

Your thinking is the internal dynamo that will make or break you

Most of the times there is this voice inside of you that tries to hold you back from stepping out and doing the things you know are supposed to be done by you if you want to be successful. The voice keeps reminding you of the gazillion things that are against you. It is not strange for you to hear the following: You are not connected enough, You are not smart enough, You are not tall enough, You are not short enough You do not have enough capital Others have tried and failed; You will fail as well. When you try to push yourself to act on your conviction and dream the voice gets even louder and stronger. It screams out at you, Give up, give up, give up! There is no point in trying, It is a waste of time, don’t do anything. Many people listen to this voice which is a result of external conditioning that has resulted in a faulty believe system about who they are and what they can accomplish. This is a direct byproduct of the type of information they have been consuming. This information includes the type of books read, movies watched, people listened to and they type of company they hang around. A constant barrage of negative, self-defeating, demeaning information will feed the voice in you that want you to stay at home, blame the whole world for your “misfortunes”; take no responsibility and no action. You will rather complain than do anything. Now is the time to do something about it and challenge this voice with the right information. First you won your first race in life and will win others. Take for example the odds of you being born in this century in a particular continent and race is about 1 in 400,000,000,000,. Wow! This is mind boggling. Let it soak in! In order words you are not some cosmic accident. There is a reason for you being here at this time. Therefore get excited about this and follow the advice of Paul, the Apostle, and be transformed by the renewal of your mind. In order words, be selective in the type of information you consume and the type of people you hang around with. If you are constantly consuming negative information and hanging around negative people, you will eventually produce what you consume. Just as Jesus Christ of Nazareth said, “Good people do the good that is in them. But evil people do the evil that is in them. The things people say come from inside them.” You thinking must align with what your aspirations are. You cannot continue to think about, lack, defeat and hate and expect to be joyful, happy and successful. Replace your wrong thinking with the right thinking. And you will begin to speak in the right way, for your words will create the reality that you will eventually experience. You thinking is one of the things that is under your control, so take charge of it and ensure that instead of think of the impossibilities you think of all the possibilities.

You and you alone will determine how far you are going to go in life

You are and you alone will determine how far you are going to go in life. This may sound as an overly exaggerated, preposterous and unfounded statement. Give me a minute to show you why I think despite that fact that a gazillion things may be completely out of your control, the things that matter are under your control. You have to learn to identify the things that matter, master and leverage them and you will be unstoppable. It is a waste of your time, energy and resources to fret over the gazillion things that are out of your control. For example, you were not consulted to be born in this century and did not choose what continent to be born on. You did not choose your parents and the color of your skin, even your looks, eye color, hair texture, etc. This is an unending list and there is no point wishing to be somewhere else or somebody else. Therefore get along with the program and enjoy the ride while it lasts. One of the profound keys to success is realizing that the gazillion things you cannot change are the very things that will make you successful. Instead of these things becoming liabilities as many people will make you to think, they can become the fuel that you need to be successful in all you do. Once you understand that you have what it takes for you to fulfill your purpose in this life and that the competition is not against others but against yourself, your focus while change from others to you. That is when a little talk with yourself each day becomes extremely important. You have to constantly remind yourself that, since you were not consulted to be born at this time, but were born anyway! You are in the right place at the right time. You were born at a time like this because you are needed and have a role to play. Society may grade and reward the different roles we play differently. That is not what I am talking about. I referring to you finding what you are good at and doing it to the best of your ability. Get up each morning stand in front of the mirror, smile and remind yourself that there is no better time to be living than now. The 30s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, are gone forever. Stop wishing you were living back then. If you were needed back then you would have been born back then. Now is when you are needed, now is when your can make the greatest impact. Therefore get excited and get going. Remember the words of King Solomon, “The power of the tongue is life and death— those who love to talk will eat what it produces.” According to King Solomon, your lot in life is not determined by when, where and who gave birth to you, but by how you talk. Most often the gazillion things that are out of your control are those that influence or talking. For example it is common to hear people say that, they cannot do something because they were not born in some particular race, or some doors will not open to them because they do not have this or that. Learn to talk life and not death and your dreams and aspirations will not only thrive they will yield a bountiful harvest. Replace, I cannot with I can and you will be amazed by how much this will transform and change your situation.

Is Fear is holding you back? Now is the time to stand up to it

What in the world prompted a young man to leave behind his young bride and son in Africa to come to America for graduate studies; without money or scholarships to pay for his studies? This was his first time of travelling out of his home country and this meant living behind all the familiar, sights, tastes, sounds and all he had been used to from birth. With just a single suitcase he borrowed money at 120% a year for his air ticket and embarked on a journey to a foreign country without any guarantees it was going to work. He is neither the first nor the last to embark on such a journey. Many immigrants share a similar story. What prompts people to take such a risk? By now you may be wondering who the young man is. It was me in 2002. I left Cameroon with a single phone number on me and when flight landed at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the person to pick me was in Oklahoma City. I waited at the airport for him to drive from Oklahoma City to the airport in Dallas; after many hours he showed up and took me home. (See Coming to America: A Journey of Faith page 52). Fear is a normal reaction when you are faced with uncertainties or when things do not go the way you anticipated. We all have to deal with fear on a daily basis. For example, the fear of losing a job, the fear of not winning a contract, the fear of being rejected and treated as an outside by others, the fear of being different etc. One of the greatest fears is the fear of failure. This has killed many dreams and caused many people to become stagnated. Let fear become a motivator for you to do better. You can do this by focusing on the root of issue, for fear is usually a symptom of something deeper. If you confront the issue head on the fear will disappear. Information is an excellent antidote for fear, so make use of the resources at your disposal and overcome your fear. As Winston Churchill said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” Get excited when fear shows up, for it is time for growth and expansion. All who have made great strides have figured out how to harness the power that is hidden in fear. Do not let fear prevent you from being all you were created to be. What is the worst thing that can happen if you start that new business or enroll in that program? Failure? Of course failure is not bad itself so long as you leverage the failure and make it work for you. That is a discussion for another day. Remember you are not alone, as King Solomon said a few thousand years ago “There is nothing new under the sun.” Do not let fear stop you, instead let it to motivate you to try new things and do the impossible.

Why you have to let go of Yesterday

When was the last time somebody told you not to weep over spilled milk, or you told somebody to get over it and move on? Getting over it is easier said than done. Let’s face it! Letting go of yesterday is extremely difficult and at times excruciatingly painful. The lure of wallowing in self-pity and receiving sympathy from others becomes an almost in escapable trap. We are tempted to hold on to past hurts, failures, disappointments and miss opportunities at the expense of the present and the future. Nobody drives by focusing solely on the rearview mirror, for intuition and experience demands that you only glance at your rearview mirror occasionally. If you disobey this rule, you are going to be involved in a crash that can cost your life. This is serious and all drivers obey this rule most of the time. Hanging onto yesterday, especially focusing solely on failures, disappointments, betrayals and missed opportunities is tantamount to driving solely with your review mirror. You are headed for a crash and that can cost you friendships, business opportunities, promotion, innovation and your life.

Yesterday is gone and it should not be the only criteria you use in measuring how well you will do today. Each day is a fresh opportunity to start all over, so make the most of it. When you say, I am set in my ways and cannot change despite the fact that everything surrounding you says otherwise, you are letting yesterday rob you of the present. For example, you just left the consultant’s office and the recommendation is that you make some changes in the way customer service is handled in your business and all you say is, “We have always done our business like this and there is no need to change it.” You may even state with all conviction that you tried it already and it did not work. What you are indirectly saying is that my yesterday has the final say. That should not be the case. Living in the past means the present will pass you by, since you cannot be in two places at the same time. Something has to give if you try to be in two places at the same time. It is an extremely frustrating and costly way to live. Maybe some of the frustration, and headache, is a result of lingering too much in yesterday. Therefore it will do you a lot of good if you take the advice of Isaiah and Israeli prophet of old. He said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” This is ancient wisdom that still applies to us to day. Yesterday is gone, so let it go as well. There is no point holding tight to what is completely out of your control.

Why Today Matters

Government Primary School Bechati where I completed my elementary education You must have heard that the final outcome you get is the sum of what you do on a daily basis. In order words it is a summation of your minute by minute activities during the course of each day. Today matters because where you will be tomorrow depends on what you do today. There is no point expecting a different outcome tomorrow, if your today is not aligned with your expectation for tomorrow. For example the way your threat your customers today will determine if they will come back to you tomorrow or not. Today matters because yesterday is no longer yours. It is gone and there is nothing you can do about all the missed opportunities. Your only hope is what you decided to do today. The only way yesterday can count is if you avoid the mistakes of yesterday today. If you also repeat the success of yesterday today, tomorrow you will be glad you did. When you focus on making the most of today, procrastination will no longer be an issue, since you will stop putting off the things you are supposed to be doing today. For example, you will stop putting off going to the gym and start following the recommendations from your doctor to do something about your present health condition. According to Jesus Christ of Nazareth today is what you should be focusing on, he says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” It implies engaging each day fully with all you have is the best way to deal with the challenges of that day; when you try to add tomorrow you are over stretching the resources of today. Today is important for tomorrow it will become your yesterday, therefore make the most of today and your yesterday will be great and your tomorrow wonderful. Today is all you got, smile, love and make the most of each moment. I hope this encourages you to make the most of today and make it better for others. http//:erictangumonkem.com Dr. eT

An Encounter with Jesus Christ

Our stay on earth is temporal, but our souls will live forever. Unfortunately we get so occupied taking care of the temporal that the eternal gets out of focus. To get back in alignment, we need to accept Jesus as Lord and savior. You start living when you become born again. The eternal life of God comes in you and make you light and salt to a dark and decaying world. I gave my life to Christ at the age of 12 and have experienced the profound and life transformation. If you want prove, check out my book, "Coming to America: A Journey of Faith. It can be found on http://erictangumonkem.com/ or AMAZON.COM

Faith in Action

What in the world prompted a young man to leave behind his young bride and son in Africa to come to America for graduate studies; without money to pay for his studies? Dr. Tangumonkem writes, “My boat was going to be rocked beyond my ability to control, it and the next phase of my walk was going to be greater than anything I had experience so far.” You are about to engage in an amazing journey of faith, hope, perseverance and determination; against trails, sickness, temptations, uncertainties, hardships and poverty. An excellent illustration that prayer indeed moves mountains and everything is possible to him that believes. Dr. Tangumonkem shares with you practical steps to growing your faith and getting the most out of your walk with God. He demonstrates using personal events in his life, backed by scriptural references that; God is faithful and will back His word irrespective of what we think about it. This is a theme that is repeated throughout the entire book, faced with the challenge of not having money to pay his tuition he declared to his roommate, “I told him God was my sponsor. By the time we separated from that apartment he also could not wrap his mind around some of the things that had happened in my life.” Walking by faith and experiencing the supernatural move of God on a daily basis is not for supper people. It is possible for everybody, irrespective of race, color and social status to know God at a personal level. For God has and will always keep His promises and is concern about the little things and the bigger things. This is demonstrated by him asking for socks and receiving six new pairs of socks a few days later. As he stares, “You may be wondering why I am making a big deal about six pairs of new socks that cost a few dollars. The issue is not about the socks. It is about the fact that my Father in heaven cares so much about the tiniest details of my life. If He could provide socks, He would also take care of the bigger challenges I was facing. Seeing His involvement in so-called “little things” enabled me to see Him move the “bigger things.” For God is not too busy to intervene in “small things,” nor intimidated by “bigger things.” He is the Lord of all and there is nothing impossible for Him.” This book is about tried and proven principles of faith that will change your life forever. Your faith will grow as you read and by the end of the book you will begin to charter new territory. You will get a deeper understanding, of praying specific prayers and experiencing God responding with specific answers. Just as Jacob who prayed and said he would not leave until God bless him; Jesus who prayed and the heaven was let loose; the apostles who prayed and the Holy Spirit was sent to them; Dr. Tangumonkem too prayed ceaselessly and God answered his prayers. He was faithful to God; he did not follow the ungodly advice of some immigrants to divorce his wife and to report the white woman who knocked him down on his bicycle in order to make money. He relied completely on God. He clearly invites everyone to love God unconditionally and to go to him when they are heavy laden for He will not fail them. His book assures readers that whoever belongs to the “Royal Family” will not lack. Dr. Tangumonkem put his problem straight to God and he received a grant not for research but to pay his debt: what a miracle! An uncommon blessing! This book is an immense expression of the audacity of faith: It takes faith to consider ones debt which is even more than that of a whole community normal; it takes faith not to work because the law forbids one and yet one is in a precarious situation etc. Dr. Tangumonkem uses this shining and burning light from his bones to preach to those who still hearken not to the word of God. He invites them to hope in despondency by putting their loads and intricate situations on God’s shoulder and to maintain an individual communication with Him. In this book Dr. Tangumonkem shows that one’s mind is a battlefield for the good and the evil and the person who doesn’t communicate well with God will easily sway to the camp of the devil who promises temporal riches It is a book that pricks people’s conscience who careless about doing what is godly. It is a testimony of the works of God when the society turns against one.