THE PLEDGE

THE PLEDGE

I am the sum total of the genetic endowment

with which I came into the world, and of all

the experiences which have made up my life. Some

of them have been good, some bad, but all of them

have been mine. What I currently am is what I deserve

to be. My life, my reputation, my influence is

the mirror of the choices I have made. If I am not

everything I can be, it is because I haven’t chosen

to be more. I am determined not to live in my past,

which I cannot change, or to waste time waiting

for the future, which I cannot guarantee, but to

live in the emerging reality of the NOW, which is

all I have. I cannot do everything, but I can do

some things. I certainly cannot do everything well,

but I can do some things well. I cannot guarantee I

will win, but I can promise I will not allow losing

to become a habit, and if I fail, it will not be a

failure of nerve. So I will stand tall, feel deeply,

think large, and strive mightily, remembering what

I accomplish probably won’t change the course of

human history, but what I attempt will create the

course of my personal history. Toward making this

declaration a reality, I hereby commit myself.”

So help me God.

 ADETAYO OJO

IN WHOSE HANDS

A football in my hands is worth about #500.
A football in Cristiano Ronaldo's hands is worth £80 million.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A basketball in my hand is worth a play-ball.
A basketball in Shaquille O'Neal's hands is worth about $30 million.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

... A baseball in my hands is worth #5000.
A baseball in Alex Rodriguez's hands is worth more than $20 million.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A tennis racket in my hand is worth nothing.
A tennis racket in Roger Federer's hand is worth winning 17 grand slams.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A rod in my hand will keep an animal away.
A rod in Moses' hands parted the mighty sea.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A sling shot in my hand is just a kid's toy.
A sling shot in David's hands was a mighty weapon.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

Two fishes and five loaves of bread is not enough to make me full.
Two fishes and five loaves of bread in God's hands will feed thousands.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

Nails in my hands might produce a wooden chair.
Nails in Jesus' hands will produce salvation for the whole world.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

As you can see now, it depends on whose hands it's in.
So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families, and your relationships in God's hands. Because it depends on whose hands its in.

These words are now in your hands. What will you do with it?
It depends on whose hands its in.

THE COMFORT ZONE

In our homes, most of us have a thermostat that regulates the temperature. When it gets a bit too warm, the air conditioning kicks on to bring the temperature down to an acceptable range. When the temperature drops below a comfortable point, the heater comes on to bring the room temperature up to a more comfortable level. The ‘COMFORT ZONE’ is the range of temperature that is not too hot and not too cold; just comfortable.

Our personal comfort zone is where we are comfortable in what we are doing in our jobs, our lives, our experiences. It is where we have no feelings of risk or anxiety. Some call it being comfortable. Some would call it the place of comfort and relaxation. In the personal comfort zone of everybody, we have built-in thermostats that regulate our level of anxiety, fear, and discomfort. However, when we step outside of our normal, existing comfort boundary, we feel a little bit anxious, disturbed, and also discomfort. Often times, the natural tendency of everyone is to pull back.

The downside of all this is that always staying in our comfort zone can be very limiting; the world passes by us as we remain stagnant in that zone. We remain addicted to the same kind of lifestyle; we continue to move in the same cycle of comfort without no growth, no new learning, no new thing, and no new achievements and to crown it all no progress. Also, no worthwhile aspiration can be accomplished from within our comfort zone.

Therefore, we’ve got to move into the next zone- an area of risk, anxiety, a place where we seek adventure to acquire new grounds, gain new things, and learn new things. I call this zone the ‘NOT TOO COMFORTABLE BUT ADVENTUROUS ZONE OF PROGRESS’.  As we try new things, we gain confidence. Confidence makes us feel powerful and good. And when we are confident that we can survive new ideas, we allow ourselves to try even more new things.

Of course, being willing to take a risk doesn’t mean everything you try will work out.  But as every successful person will tell you, it’s only by being willing to make mistakes and try something new that you can ever accomplish more than what’s been done before.  As John F. Kennedy once said, “Nothing worthwhile has ever been accomplished with a guarantee of success.” Nothing ever will be.

Your movement from the comfort zone to the adventurous zone gives you the opportunity to make that adventurous zone another comfort zone because as you try to endure the risks and adventures, you gain new grounds. As you gain these new grounds, you create a potential new comfort zone of the next era.

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONES AND DARE TO ENTER INTO THAT ADVENTUROUS ZONE OF PROGRESS.

THANK YOU