Been to the sunny Limpopo the entire last week. This was for work and to attend a funeral of my grand father.
Now in as much as I love Venda and all It has to offer, I recently realized that I actually dreaded going there these day. My issue? The pain I feel every time I enter the Matangari village.
I went to Matangari as a tenth grader. My dad's bright idea of saving me from the uncultured ways of the township, Mamelodi.
When you are a stranger in a village where all know each other and speak a strange language with a heavier accent than you do, it is actually daunting especially for a tenth grader. You feel all alone as you become either a thing to marvel at like an animal at the zoo, or a laughing stock when you dare speak a word in the local dialect. If you did master a word your accent gives you away.
All the above thou painful; are not compared to the recent pain I suffered there when I am more of a local hero accepted and admired by the locals .
You see to fit in at a remote village as a kid, you need a kid who will accept you as you are and teach you the ways of the locals. You then become one one of them (and all movie goers said "Avatar!")
Well to me my Avatar guy was my uncle, Ndivhuho (meaning appreciation or grateful) of which I am enter eternally grateful to. He was a year or two younger than I , but he immediately read me the riot act "I AM YOUR UNCLE). Well I had no choice but to forgo my age advantage and let him lead the way in this culture blending ritual,which stared with how to properly pronounce words with the right accent weight on the e.g "vho" and "Bo" which otherwise sound similar had different meanings and the later was more important if you had to get along with elders.
I was initiated into the community, thou it took two years and a name change from Reuben to Mamelodi ( for when I was asked where I come from, I said mamelodi which the locals found sounding strange and christened me, Mamelodi Sundowns) yes my uncle was the one who actually promoted them name to let emblems in with the local boys. All boys in Matangari paid soccer and I say all. So I had no choice to accept a name change and a new sport.
Later on it was his turn thou. I had to initiate him in the Pretoria culture and my entrepreneur ways which also included a rigorous regime of des uplink,self study etc.
This bore good fruits,Ndivhuho became an artisan and fixed big trucks at the mines. He then came for financial advice by me ... Knowing we you guessed right.
I gave him the richest man in balloon speech
1. Save money even idiot ten percent
2. Payoff all your debts
3. Take care of your family
4. Etc
And he did. Saved his money. Bought a brand new car and yes my pain.... He died in a car accident in that car barely five months he bought.
The spot where the accident happened is right at the entrance of the village. My heart brakes into many pieces when I see that spot.
Last week we where blurring his father. I looked his mother in the eye and say "Tour husband was my grand dad who prayed for me all the time I came home, but his funeral adds to my pain"
She looked at me and said "What pain son" I said "My mother " as Ndivhuho acceptionatly used to call her, " I really wish I could turn back time and have Ndivhuho back. "
So looked at me with such calm in her voice and said " If he were to appear now, wouldn't we all run ? Would we all dream in fear?" She then said " son, let it go.."
So in writing this Iam laying my pain and choose to remember Ndivhuho for all the good he brought in my life and the good times we had. I never did call him uncle , but my daughters strangely and befittingly called him "Malome" that's uncle for you.
Yes a grate guy.
A tribute to my uncle Ndivhuho "kilibotsotso" Mudau. Rest in peace uncle!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Laws of power
The 48 Laws of Power
by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers
Law 1
Never Outshine the Master
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
Law 2
Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.
Law 3
Conceal your Intentions
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.
Law 4
Always Say Less than Necessary
When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.
Law 5
So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life
Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.
Law 6
Court Attention at all Cost
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.
Law 7
Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.
Law 8
Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary
When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains – then attack. You hold the cards.
Law 9
Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.
Law 10
Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
You can die from someone else’s misery – emotional states are as infectious as disease. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.
Law 11
Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.
Law 12
Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.
Law 13
When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest,
Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.
Law 14
Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.
Law 15
Crush your Enemy Totally
All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.
Law 16
Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.
Law 17
Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.
Law 18
Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous
The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.
Law 19
Know Who You’re Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs’ clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then – never offend or deceive the wrong person.
Law 20
Do Not Commit to Anyone
It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you.
Law 21
Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark
No one likes feeling stupider than the next persons. The trick, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.
Law 22
Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
When you are weaker, never fight for honor’s sake; choose surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you – surrender first. By turning the other check you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.
Law 23
Concentrate Your Forces
Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.
Law 24
Play the Perfect Courtier
The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the mot oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.
Law 25
Re-Create Yourself
Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.
Law 26
Keep Your Hands Clean
You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-paws to disguise your involvement.
Law 27
Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.
Law 28
Enter Action with Boldness
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
Law 29
Plan All the Way to the End
The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.
Law 30
Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.
Law 31
Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.
Law 32
Play to People’s Fantasies
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes for disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.
Law 33
Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usual y an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.
Law 34
Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated; In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.
Law 35
Master the Art of Timing
Never seem to be in a hurry – hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.
Law 36
Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.
Law 37
Create Compelling Spectacles
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.
Law 38
Think as you like but Behave like others
If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.
Law 39
Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.
Law 40
Despise the Free Lunch
What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.
Law 41
Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes
What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.
Law 42
Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual – the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoned of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them – they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.
Law 43
Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.
Law 44
Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of Mirror Effect.
Law 45
Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.
Law 46
Never appear too Perfect
Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.
Law 47
Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.
Law 48
Assume Formlessness
By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.
by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers
Law 1
Never Outshine the Master
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
Law 2
Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.
Law 3
Conceal your Intentions
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.
Law 4
Always Say Less than Necessary
When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.
Law 5
So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life
Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.
Law 6
Court Attention at all Cost
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.
Law 7
Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.
Law 8
Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary
When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains – then attack. You hold the cards.
Law 9
Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.
Law 10
Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
You can die from someone else’s misery – emotional states are as infectious as disease. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.
Law 11
Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.
Law 12
Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.
Law 13
When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest,
Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.
Law 14
Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.
Law 15
Crush your Enemy Totally
All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.
Law 16
Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.
Law 17
Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.
Law 18
Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous
The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.
Law 19
Know Who You’re Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs’ clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then – never offend or deceive the wrong person.
Law 20
Do Not Commit to Anyone
It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you.
Law 21
Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark
No one likes feeling stupider than the next persons. The trick, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.
Law 22
Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
When you are weaker, never fight for honor’s sake; choose surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you – surrender first. By turning the other check you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.
Law 23
Concentrate Your Forces
Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.
Law 24
Play the Perfect Courtier
The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the mot oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.
Law 25
Re-Create Yourself
Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.
Law 26
Keep Your Hands Clean
You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-paws to disguise your involvement.
Law 27
Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.
Law 28
Enter Action with Boldness
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
Law 29
Plan All the Way to the End
The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.
Law 30
Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.
Law 31
Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.
Law 32
Play to People’s Fantasies
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes for disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.
Law 33
Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usual y an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.
Law 34
Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated; In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.
Law 35
Master the Art of Timing
Never seem to be in a hurry – hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.
Law 36
Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.
Law 37
Create Compelling Spectacles
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.
Law 38
Think as you like but Behave like others
If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.
Law 39
Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.
Law 40
Despise the Free Lunch
What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.
Law 41
Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes
What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.
Law 42
Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual – the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoned of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them – they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.
Law 43
Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.
Law 44
Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of Mirror Effect.
Law 45
Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.
Law 46
Never appear too Perfect
Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.
Law 47
Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.
Law 48
Assume Formlessness
By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Just to say...
It is another day gone by, I feel I should congratulate you for taking the strength to face it, but more importantly to spare you on for another.
Tomorrow, is another day, as you sleep tonight, know that it is full of opportunity to advance what you started today or start a new task. Whatever you do, know that you have the ability.
Get out and do it...
Tomorrow, is another day, as you sleep tonight, know that it is full of opportunity to advance what you started today or start a new task. Whatever you do, know that you have the ability.
Get out and do it...
It has been a while
I feel compelled to write and say to you, focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. Know your weaknesses but do not allow them to be the basis from where you define yourself.
Purpose rather to say , these are my asserts, these are my talents, these are my skills, shortfall or not I am destined to make it and make it big with these.
Choose to see advice for what it is, " a nudge to lobby you ahead, not a confirmation of you're weaknesses "
With what you have and what you are right now, you can make it BIG real BIG. Keep pushing, close out a voice that says you are inferior and inadequate, listen to that still voice within that says "You can..."
Purpose rather to say , these are my asserts, these are my talents, these are my skills, shortfall or not I am destined to make it and make it big with these.
Choose to see advice for what it is, " a nudge to lobby you ahead, not a confirmation of you're weaknesses "
With what you have and what you are right now, you can make it BIG real BIG. Keep pushing, close out a voice that says you are inferior and inadequate, listen to that still voice within that says "You can..."
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Are you thinking from the inside out or from the outside in?
What influences your inner debate and thoughts? Is it what you have in store or what you are feeding daily? If it is what you have in store, what is it, where does it come from? Is it what you read from a book? , perhaps what you saw someone do?, or what was said to you?
It must have its roots from somewhere. Where is this place?
What wre you feeding your heart? What drives the actual you? Is it what happens around you or what happens in you? Is it what happens to you or what you do? What is happening to you? What are you doing?
These are directional questions when answered sincerely without rushing through may lead to a big improvement and success in your life. May I suggest that you print this to latter reflect on it, or revisit it later to seek answers....
There must be a point from where your life and actions are influenced. What is influencing you? What motivates you to do what you do, what is your motive? Why are you doing it?
It must have its roots from somewhere. Where is this place?
What wre you feeding your heart? What drives the actual you? Is it what happens around you or what happens in you? Is it what happens to you or what you do? What is happening to you? What are you doing?
These are directional questions when answered sincerely without rushing through may lead to a big improvement and success in your life. May I suggest that you print this to latter reflect on it, or revisit it later to seek answers....
There must be a point from where your life and actions are influenced. What is influencing you? What motivates you to do what you do, what is your motive? Why are you doing it?
Monday, May 14, 2012
Take your Healing - By Faith
Jesus Christ paid the price for your healing. You don’t have to put up with the pain, despair or hopelessness that comes with illness anymore. Let Gloria Copeland show you how to receive your healing with the power of faith.
Take Your Healing—By Faith!
by Gloria Copeland
Take it!
That’s exactly what you have to do if you want to obtain healing.
In fact, in every area of life obtaining the victory boils down to one thing: Just take God at His Word. What He says—what is written in His Word—is the absolute truth and it really will work if we will only take hold of it.
The fact of the matter is, healing is no problem for the Lord. The only hard part is getting people to believe what He has said about it so they can receive their healing.
God has given each of us the choice. He said it this way: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).We must choose to take what God has offered. And we must do that—“by force”Matthew 11:12 says.
If you need a healing, you can’t sit back and wait for God to drop it down on you. You have to do what it takes so you can rise up in faith and take what rightfully belongs to you!
Taking requires active faith. Having faith in God and His Word is the bottom-line answer to every problem regardless of what others may say. People are not short of well-meaning advice. I’m sure you’ve figured that out, especially if you are believing God for healing. More than likely, you’ve also figured out that most of what people say is not productive advice. I can tell you from experience, the answers that actually work are found in one place—the Word.
God’s Word has the power within it to bring itself to pass. Not only that, God’s Word teaches us to think His way which is the higher, better and smarter way (Isaiah 55:8-11). That becomes possible when His Word, His way of thinking, crowds out other thoughts and ideas. Then you can pray in faith and receive what you need.
Take It by Force!
Healing belongs to you and to me. God has given us great promises in His Word, including promises of health and wholeness. He sent Jesus to die on the cross to redeem us from sin and sickness. Galatians 3:13 says,“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us….” The curse includes every sickness and every disease (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Jesus’ sacrifice paid for us to be redeemed from them all.
As far as God is concerned, that settles the issue of healing. It’s all done. There’s nothing left for Him to do. Healing belongs to us in Christ Jesus, and yet it’s not automatic. It’s up to us to receive it.
If you need healing, take it! Take it with your faith, and with your words. Believe you receive it and don’t waver.
#extract from www.kcm.org
Read the entire teaching on this link http://www.kcm.org.za/index.php?option=com_realhelp&task=article&id=213&Itemid=139
You can get Real help by visiting the "Real Help" page on www.kcm.org for any area of you life from prayer, finance etc.
Be blessed
Take Your Healing—By Faith!
by Gloria Copeland
Take it!
That’s exactly what you have to do if you want to obtain healing.
In fact, in every area of life obtaining the victory boils down to one thing: Just take God at His Word. What He says—what is written in His Word—is the absolute truth and it really will work if we will only take hold of it.
The fact of the matter is, healing is no problem for the Lord. The only hard part is getting people to believe what He has said about it so they can receive their healing.
God has given each of us the choice. He said it this way: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).We must choose to take what God has offered. And we must do that—“by force”Matthew 11:12 says.
If you need a healing, you can’t sit back and wait for God to drop it down on you. You have to do what it takes so you can rise up in faith and take what rightfully belongs to you!
Taking requires active faith. Having faith in God and His Word is the bottom-line answer to every problem regardless of what others may say. People are not short of well-meaning advice. I’m sure you’ve figured that out, especially if you are believing God for healing. More than likely, you’ve also figured out that most of what people say is not productive advice. I can tell you from experience, the answers that actually work are found in one place—the Word.
God’s Word has the power within it to bring itself to pass. Not only that, God’s Word teaches us to think His way which is the higher, better and smarter way (Isaiah 55:8-11). That becomes possible when His Word, His way of thinking, crowds out other thoughts and ideas. Then you can pray in faith and receive what you need.
Take It by Force!
Healing belongs to you and to me. God has given us great promises in His Word, including promises of health and wholeness. He sent Jesus to die on the cross to redeem us from sin and sickness. Galatians 3:13 says,“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us….” The curse includes every sickness and every disease (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Jesus’ sacrifice paid for us to be redeemed from them all.
As far as God is concerned, that settles the issue of healing. It’s all done. There’s nothing left for Him to do. Healing belongs to us in Christ Jesus, and yet it’s not automatic. It’s up to us to receive it.
If you need healing, take it! Take it with your faith, and with your words. Believe you receive it and don’t waver.
#extract from www.kcm.org
Read the entire teaching on this link http://www.kcm.org.za/index.php?option=com_realhelp&task=article&id=213&Itemid=139
You can get Real help by visiting the "Real Help" page on www.kcm.org for any area of you life from prayer, finance etc.
Be blessed
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Views; are made up of what we percieve to be true based on the knowlege and insight we have on the matter.
Listening and varifying what we hear; analysing what we receive; based on both internal and external sources and on common standards can indeed assist us in making informed decisions and forming ano acceptable view of the matter at hand in charting a chosen path...
Perhaps we ask ourselves; how much of this do I know? Before judge a matter...#Stand
Listening and varifying what we hear; analysing what we receive; based on both internal and external sources and on common standards can indeed assist us in making informed decisions and forming ano acceptable view of the matter at hand in charting a chosen path...
Perhaps we ask ourselves; how much of this do I know? Before judge a matter...#Stand
This power of delegation
Your ability to multiply is limited by your ability to choose, train and develop able people to assist you in your quest. This is the power of delegation...
See Acts 6 below
1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Develop a team to assist you in your quest. #Be blessed
See Acts 6 below
1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Develop a team to assist you in your quest. #Be blessed
Friday, May 4, 2012
The advice the rich man gave #1
"What then do you advice us to do that we might also get rich?" his friends finally asked ...
"I advice that you take the advice I received" the rich man replied as he continued to give them these principles...
"
1. Impress this idea to yourselves 'every portion of what I earn is mine to keep' say this to yourself until you are fully convinced of this truth
2. Take a wise portion of your monthly earnings inline with your conviction above, let it not be less than 10% of your monthly earnings. Adjust your other expenses to do this if necessary. Do this monthly no matter what the inconvenience, soon you will be spared on by the feeling of owning wealth, it will stimulate you to go on.
3. Now harness the power of compound interest, let your monthly earnings and its interest earned compound and earn you more interest.
4. Buy a reasonable insurance to take care of your family should you not be able to do so, this will keep the wealth legacy in your family even when your gone or you have no power to so.
5. Seek advice from your banker and those who are professionally trained and skilled with investing money. They will advice you how to wisely invest your new found wealth without risking it all away.
"
Thus went the advice of the rich man to his friends. "Along now my friends, it it now late, to your wives and children you should return, for a wise man needs to lead his household with integrity " off his friends went as he promise them the next lesson should they return.
Adapted from: The richest man in Babylon.
"I advice that you take the advice I received" the rich man replied as he continued to give them these principles...
"
1. Impress this idea to yourselves 'every portion of what I earn is mine to keep' say this to yourself until you are fully convinced of this truth
2. Take a wise portion of your monthly earnings inline with your conviction above, let it not be less than 10% of your monthly earnings. Adjust your other expenses to do this if necessary. Do this monthly no matter what the inconvenience, soon you will be spared on by the feeling of owning wealth, it will stimulate you to go on.
3. Now harness the power of compound interest, let your monthly earnings and its interest earned compound and earn you more interest.
4. Buy a reasonable insurance to take care of your family should you not be able to do so, this will keep the wealth legacy in your family even when your gone or you have no power to so.
5. Seek advice from your banker and those who are professionally trained and skilled with investing money. They will advice you how to wisely invest your new found wealth without risking it all away.
"
Thus went the advice of the rich man to his friends. "Along now my friends, it it now late, to your wives and children you should return, for a wise man needs to lead his household with integrity " off his friends went as he promise them the next lesson should they return.
Now then, how shall we choose leaders?
Here is the advice Moses gave to Israel; I wonder if we perhaps must follow the same if faced with choosing any leader today...
It is found in Exodus 18:21and I put in three translations for our review...
New International Version (©1984)
21. But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
New Living Translation (©2007)
But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.
English Standard Version (©2001)
21. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
21. "Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.
Here is the advice Moses gave to Israel; I wonder if we perhaps must follow the same if faced with choosing any leader today...
It is found in Exodus 18:21and I put in three translations for our review...
New International Version (©1984)
21. But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
New Living Translation (©2007)
But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.
English Standard Version (©2001)
21. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
21. "Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
What are you saying?
Life and death is in the power of your tongue. What you say ultimately determines the outcome of your situation.
Learn to control your tongue and you will live victoriously. Train yourself to speak health in the mist of sickness and decease, prosperity in apparent lack, and your situation will start following your words. You can turn the situation around by what you say.
Mat 12:37 "for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned"
Learn to control your tongue and you will live victoriously. Train yourself to speak health in the mist of sickness and decease, prosperity in apparent lack, and your situation will start following your words. You can turn the situation around by what you say.
Mat 12:37 "for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned"
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
He came to set us free
The year of Jubilee in both the Jewish and Christian traditions is a time of joy, the year of remission or universal pardon. In Mosaic law, each fiftieth year was to be celebrated as a jubilee year, and that at this season every household should recover its absent members, the land return to its former owners, the Hebrew slaves be set free, and debts be remitted.
Bless God, you and I do not have to wait some years to get it, Jesus came to set us free right here and now. Jesus came to proclaim Jubilee (Luke 4:17-21)
It is a free Gift , ask him into your life and you will be free (Romans 10:8)
#Be blessed
Bless God, you and I do not have to wait some years to get it, Jesus came to set us free right here and now. Jesus came to proclaim Jubilee (Luke 4:17-21)
It is a free Gift , ask him into your life and you will be free (Romans 10:8)
#Be blessed
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Beyond reason
Scientific facts, stats, etc. gives you reason; But these are limited to human research. There is time when you need revelation which transcends nature, encored on a true word beyond human spirit....
Friend you need God, he gives beyond reason, transcend nature and lavish you with his spirit beyond human comprehension. His word remains true in all your situations...
#Won't you consider finding a church today, a place you can pray, and connect beloyond reason.
God bless you.
Friend you need God, he gives beyond reason, transcend nature and lavish you with his spirit beyond human comprehension. His word remains true in all your situations...
#Won't you consider finding a church today, a place you can pray, and connect beloyond reason.
Friday, April 27, 2012
The five laws of money
"But in those bitter days, I remembered thy confidence in me, my father. Thou hadst sent me forth to become a man, and this I was determined to accomplish." "I read most carefully thy words of wisdom, and realized that had The Five Laws Of Gold
1. Money cometh gladly and in increasing quantity to any man who will put by not less than one-tenth of his earnings to create an estate for his future and that of his family.
2. Money laboreth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks of the field.
3. Money clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of wise men in its handling.
4. Money slippeth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those skilled in its keeping.
5. Money flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who followeth the advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.
# The richest man in Babylon; George Clason - (For easy reading, I replaced the word Gold with money from original text)
1. Money cometh gladly and in increasing quantity to any man who will put by not less than one-tenth of his earnings to create an estate for his future and that of his family.
2. Money laboreth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks of the field.
3. Money clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of wise men in its handling.
4. Money slippeth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those skilled in its keeping.
5. Money flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who followeth the advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.
# The richest man in Babylon; George Clason - (For easy reading, I replaced the word Gold with money from original text)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
You need to look at me when I am talking to you!
Now one of our team members is Johan, true to his nature, Johan would drag a project for all it is worth. You want something done get Johan to do it, but you want something fast Johan is probably not your man.
Here I was seating at a desk giving him a project with strict
instructions, my laptop hooked on two monitors an Ipad and my cellphone going
all at once. “Johan, two weeks, …” I insisted …”But Reuben…” I carried on working while handing him his paper
stipulating the project clearly …”two weeks Johan, two weeks!”
Well he sheepishly walked away and turned back by the door
and said “Reuben you looked stressed, …” Well you know me, I continued right on
the laptop and said …”two weeks!” He then turned and pointed a finger at me
with this motherly rebuking voice and said , “Reuben, look at me while I am
talking to you! …serious dude you need vitamins!” Haaaaahaaaa that cured me,
and guess what Johan really looked stressed ! We laughed ! Yep all in a days
work!
Are you stressed like, well Johan or me, dude you really
need vitamins but most importantly you need to laugh!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Is there a dead pig in your stream?
A story is told of an African village where it's inhabitants rely on a river for water. For many years the river provided water for drinking, irrigation etc. All off a sudden people started dying more frequently, especially the elderly and the young ones.
The village appointed a research team that did all sorts of tests to dertmine what could be killing the villagers. The water from the river was found to be a source of this sudden high death rate. But how come? It still looked pure, and tasted sweet, but what could be in the water?
The researchers tested the water only to find poison. This poison was the cause of death for the children and the elderly. So a hunt began to find out what really poisoned they water. To do this the researchers followed the river up stream taking and testing all plants and what could contaminate the water. There was no such a thing, all plants and things did not have poison. The only poison was found in a plant way up the mountain way up the hill. It is said that pigs loved this plant, but deadly if undigested.
But how could the plant far way from the river loved by pigs affect the water? Well, one suggest they go to the stream at the foot of the mountain to just have a look, who knows?
To their amazement there lay a pig dead at the bottom of the stream.
Is there perhaps a dead poisonous pig at them bottom of our stream. Deep in your spirit are you plagued by deep seated , anger, sadness, rejection, rage or any of these? But before you can drink from the river of life have you thought perhaps of cleansing the stream? Could it be the one hampering your blessings, healing etc?
Prayer:
Father I pray that my friends and I find time this week to look deep down in our hearts for a pig in the stream. I pray that you help us open up our hearts and trust you will for the cleansing of our streams. All the anger, strike, idle talk, rage, unfogivenss and all the deep seated hurts be removed and healed in Jesus name.
Amen.
See Colossians 3:1-17
The village appointed a research team that did all sorts of tests to dertmine what could be killing the villagers. The water from the river was found to be a source of this sudden high death rate. But how come? It still looked pure, and tasted sweet, but what could be in the water?
The researchers tested the water only to find poison. This poison was the cause of death for the children and the elderly. So a hunt began to find out what really poisoned they water. To do this the researchers followed the river up stream taking and testing all plants and what could contaminate the water. There was no such a thing, all plants and things did not have poison. The only poison was found in a plant way up the mountain way up the hill. It is said that pigs loved this plant, but deadly if undigested.
But how could the plant far way from the river loved by pigs affect the water? Well, one suggest they go to the stream at the foot of the mountain to just have a look, who knows?
To their amazement there lay a pig dead at the bottom of the stream.
Is there perhaps a dead poisonous pig at them bottom of our stream. Deep in your spirit are you plagued by deep seated , anger, sadness, rejection, rage or any of these? But before you can drink from the river of life have you thought perhaps of cleansing the stream? Could it be the one hampering your blessings, healing etc?
Prayer:
Father I pray that my friends and I find time this week to look deep down in our hearts for a pig in the stream. I pray that you help us open up our hearts and trust you will for the cleansing of our streams. All the anger, strike, idle talk, rage, unfogivenss and all the deep seated hurts be removed and healed in Jesus name.
Amen.
See Colossians 3:1-17
Thursday, March 15, 2012
All Who Are Thirsty lyrics
All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of his mercy
As deep cries out to deep (we sing)
Come Lord Jesus come
[repeat 3 times]
Holy Spirit come
[repeat 3 times]
As deep cries out to deep
[repeat 2 times]
All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of his mercy
As deep cries out to deep (we sing)
Come Lord Jesus come
[repeat 3 times]
Holy Spirit come
[repeat 3 times]
As deep cries out to deep
[repeat 2 times]
Monday, March 5, 2012
How about this for imagination?
You are gonna love this, I tell you, sit up straight this you must see...
Let us pick it up from Num 13 and paraphrase as we go...lovely I tell you..."
And The Lord spoke to Moses, saying "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, ..." Now these guys were sent out to check out Canaan literally if they had digital cams they proberbly would have taken some pics we can google. Is that it?
So God instead of focusing on the other more pressing issues of the day he chose to let these guys go get a mental pic of the place. Wow... Why couldn't God just give them the picture? no no , no slide shows, you must make up a mental picture of your own... Let us read on for evidence of this.. From verse 17 as we paraphrase " so Moses sent them to spy (get an imagine we can use) out the land of Canaan, ...." 18 "and see what the land is like; ..." aha
Moses; so you want a returned imagine of the view... So before Israel can much in they hand to choose between the week or strong, few or many, rich or poor etc.
...before you tackle your problems, say a life threatening disease, a family braking apart, kids that don't listen, bills that pile up... You have to give God a mental picture of what the situation looks like...
Report back 1 - dude, we went and spied the land, it flows with mind and honey alright ....Nevertheless (Hear comes the BUT) 28 The the people who dwell in the land are strong, the cities are fortified and very large. 33. Those guys are giants, and we, haaa Moses, we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Proberly one of those guys was thinking "Moses;..dude...this is not like cracking water out of the rock or parting the Red see, this is some serious staff dude, the image we bring is that of a grasshoppers in own sight and surely that image is transferred to their sight, man... "
Ok to report 2
Report 2
"Hash, Let's go get them ..." v30 then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said "let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
Well gues who won that argument....
Do you want to be quoted by God like these guys who won the argument or the one who brought back he victory image of your situation? See how God quotes them in judgement...
Ooh; before we go to the judgement, the guys who brought the victory image and Moses were torn by this, for real man, they actually fell on their faces and tore their clothes. Read it for yourself in Num 14:6 they couldn't believe this, same guys saw same thing and came back with a terrible report. They even tried to convince them to reconsider ver 7' and gues what? the mob rioted against good council. Are you reading this saying no man Reups, you just do not know my situation, how about it? Stop the riot act and believe God! But how can you believe God if you have formed the wrong image of the outcome of your situation? "No man Reuben this will kill me, " well, be it you believe God or not as things stand this is how you going to end... So you might as well take Moses' council, for as sure as I am saying this' dude I am NOT going to tear my clothes to convince you...or risk a riot, yo....See the verdict,
In Num 14:11 - their bad imagination (image) of the situation is judged as unbelief:
V12 - this leads to Gods wrath on them, unbelief leads to loosing the very inheritance you have in Christ ...
Num14: 26 is titled "The death of the rebels" scary staff happened in between verse 26 and 37 hey, people died chief, I tell you people died; of a plague. Some horrible staff this. but before you despair read out what happened with those guys who actually used their imagination to see beyond their own eyes and saw through the eyes of faith...are you ready?
Here goes
Num 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land" Are you still asking why ....? Well praise God for Eps 3:20 20New International Version (©1984)Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,...
Within us? Yep! You are able to ask, think and imagine and God is able to grant far more than that....so ask, imagine, think away, God is ready and able dude!
Let us pick it up from Num 13 and paraphrase as we go...lovely I tell you..."
And The Lord spoke to Moses, saying "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, ..." Now these guys were sent out to check out Canaan literally if they had digital cams they proberbly would have taken some pics we can google. Is that it?
So God instead of focusing on the other more pressing issues of the day he chose to let these guys go get a mental pic of the place. Wow... Why couldn't God just give them the picture? no no , no slide shows, you must make up a mental picture of your own... Let us read on for evidence of this.. From verse 17 as we paraphrase " so Moses sent them to spy (get an imagine we can use) out the land of Canaan, ...." 18 "and see what the land is like; ..." aha
Moses; so you want a returned imagine of the view... So before Israel can much in they hand to choose between the week or strong, few or many, rich or poor etc.
...before you tackle your problems, say a life threatening disease, a family braking apart, kids that don't listen, bills that pile up... You have to give God a mental picture of what the situation looks like...
Report back 1 - dude, we went and spied the land, it flows with mind and honey alright ....Nevertheless (Hear comes the BUT) 28 The the people who dwell in the land are strong, the cities are fortified and very large. 33. Those guys are giants, and we, haaa Moses, we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Proberly one of those guys was thinking "Moses;..dude...this is not like cracking water out of the rock or parting the Red see, this is some serious staff dude, the image we bring is that of a grasshoppers in own sight and surely that image is transferred to their sight, man... "
Ok to report 2
Report 2
"Hash, Let's go get them ..." v30 then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said "let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
Well gues who won that argument....
Do you want to be quoted by God like these guys who won the argument or the one who brought back he victory image of your situation? See how God quotes them in judgement...
Ooh; before we go to the judgement, the guys who brought the victory image and Moses were torn by this, for real man, they actually fell on their faces and tore their clothes. Read it for yourself in Num 14:6 they couldn't believe this, same guys saw same thing and came back with a terrible report. They even tried to convince them to reconsider ver 7' and gues what? the mob rioted against good council. Are you reading this saying no man Reups, you just do not know my situation, how about it? Stop the riot act and believe God! But how can you believe God if you have formed the wrong image of the outcome of your situation? "No man Reuben this will kill me, " well, be it you believe God or not as things stand this is how you going to end... So you might as well take Moses' council, for as sure as I am saying this' dude I am NOT going to tear my clothes to convince you...or risk a riot, yo....See the verdict,
In Num 14:11 - their bad imagination (image) of the situation is judged as unbelief:
V12 - this leads to Gods wrath on them, unbelief leads to loosing the very inheritance you have in Christ ...
Num14: 26 is titled "The death of the rebels" scary staff happened in between verse 26 and 37 hey, people died chief, I tell you people died; of a plague. Some horrible staff this. but before you despair read out what happened with those guys who actually used their imagination to see beyond their own eyes and saw through the eyes of faith...are you ready?
Here goes
Num 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land" Are you still asking why ....? Well praise God for Eps 3:20 20New International Version (©1984)Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,...
Within us? Yep! You are able to ask, think and imagine and God is able to grant far more than that....so ask, imagine, think away, God is ready and able dude!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Why faith is such a strange concept?
Don’t get me wrong now, but think about it.
You want to call you little dog, Spotty. You want to feed him. So you call out “Spotty here, spotty…come… Spotty come here…Spotty here..”
Then I walk into the room and say “Hash, you making lots of noise, Spotty is not here…” you give me a quick sharp look and say “Dude I know, but I want him here! That is why I call…”
“So Spotty is not here, but you are calling those things that be not as if they were…?“ Yep you want Spotty here…
You go on calling…”Spotty…”
BUT
What was all that argument about me being a faith talker? Why is it acceptable to call Spotty who is not here to come here BUT not acceptable for you to call your prosperity which is not here to come…? Why does it sound so strange for you to call health in the apparent sick state? “My body is strong, I am healed, … my every heart beats sends healing waves to my body…” You don’t have to shout it out like you do Spotty…But at least say it...
Lo and behold, “excuse my King James version English “Spotty come in wagging his tail and you say to me …”You were saying?...”
………………………………………..
Call those things that be not as if they were – FAITH – Not that strange after all...
Hebrew 11:1
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Should we carry arms again?
Dear Mr Malema and Mr Zuma
cc. ANC NEC and ANCYL NEC
Reading from the Malema speech posted on the ANCYL dated 10 February 2012 it leaves me with the question "Should we then adopt a stance in protest as militia and drive the country down in the name of youthful revolution?" Certainly not, "Shall we then stifle debate and silence the youth in the name of decency and ANC policy?" This is for the elders to answer before I am dragged to the IPAD verdict DC...
My humble maybe biased opinion is that if discipline is to be; it needs to start with the elders. The Polokwane conference unseating former president Thabo Mbeki and driving him out of parliament was a bad example by the leadership; this was worth high treason charges let alone bringing the party into disrepute as it reads on the IPAD held aloft at the NDC.
It is said anything is possible when you are in a position of power. Once given a microphone to sing and dance you can say anything as long as you have comrades behind. For the Malema brigade it seems the utterance was made without looking behind one's shoulder to ascertain whether the NEC comrades were behind you. As fate has it they were not, so to DC you go... Following Mr. Mothantle’s speech at the ANCYL congress, clearly this was the case. The Malema team or ANCYL spoke without the blessing of the elders which led to fallout through misunderstanding.
It seems to me that the ANC NEC suffers from “It is our junior’s syndrome…” We take them seriously to our benefits and rid them when they err
In my humble, well call it biased opinion; the ANC NEC should have handled with matter better. The idea should seek to hear the voice of the youth and not banish those who bring up an opinion; you are after all the leadership as the Batswana say "Kgosi thotobolo se olla matlakala.." As a leader you clean up all mess. Surely a hose pine right through the house is not the was to clean house.
A more matured approached which leaves the youth heard while the general public concerns are addressed we go a long way. Bashing each other with IPADS and television camera processes and verdict is in indeed foreign as you put it “foreign tendencies within the ANCY”.
A balancing act?
Perhaps, but if ANCYL is a division of the ANC its conduct cannot be wished away through a fancy DC process with the verdict read to the drama and delight of the media (on IPAD nog al... what happened to proudly South African brands? Next time use MONDI PAPER comrade) it needs more understanding and laying down a foundation void of rebellion and misunderstanding from both parties. So Magaung or not, the voice of unemployment and an uneducated youth cannot be silenced by sweeping it under the DC table.
A united ANC can better serve its people thank a take my side ANC,
Post ANC100 Rebuild the team
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Great and mightily is our God
Great and mightily is our God
His name is holy, ever so holy. Great and mightily is our God. He is faithful, ever so faithful; He has been so faithful to me.
He is our healer, always been a healer, he has provided healing for me. Praise him always, for Great and mighty is our God.
Ooh yes he is.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Step a little closer
Do not worship from afar;
Come Closer;
Do not be absent minded, not
for what you have or what you fear;
Come in; welcome
Do not call my name in doubt
Come Closer;
Do not be absent minded, not
for what you have or what you fear;
Come in; welcome
Do not call my name in doubt
Step a little closer daily;
See the things I have for you
Healing, Peace, Prosperity, joy
All you need is in my hand;
See the things I have for you
Healing, Peace, Prosperity, joy
All you need is in my hand;
Step a little closer;
Do not give in to what you must do;
Settle in what I have already done;
It is accomplished.
rmphala.blogsport.com ; 4 Feb 2012
Do not give in to what you must do;
Settle in what I have already done;
It is accomplished.
rmphala.blogsport.com ; 4 Feb 2012
*********
“I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done” Hudson Taylor
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The give me generation
Nothing hurts like to see our young people with dreams but no support. On the other hand it is also more painful to see that for those dreams they want the cream of it never the hard work and perspiration. For a young man or woman to make it, they think “someone must help me…” sadly no; nobody owes any of us anything but to love us. Loving you does not mean doing it for you nor does it mean living your life for you.
You want funding? prove how you are going to pay it back; you want a job? prove how your contribution will benefit our company, you want a bursary? Show us your excellent school results. I used to hate banks; I always thought they were selfish self serving places. That was until I broke the bank code of lending myself (And having a banker as a friend does help)
{Before you lend ensure that the borrower can pay you back or will have something valuable to lose}
, not once did I break this code but many times on young people;
All of them come with these starry eyes ideas, and promise you; “I promise you that I will pay you back bra Reu; I am telling you”. But my experience is different. Not of their own doing of cause, it is just that the business did not work out and as you can see; I will not be able to pay you back they say. To the young man or woman it is just a small sum, but have you thought of the thousand young people who might know any businessman in your area. All of these good people might feel they need to borrow a thousand rands, just a thousand rands bra; the result is the man losing one million rands that year (1000 x 1000) and surely it is not their fault. The bank is exactly at the same spot and they found a mechanism to solve this…
You want funding? Here are the two steps
1. Show me how you will refund it
2. Give something twice as valuable you will not want to loose
Do not get me wrong I am willing to help; but not to my detriment; I am willing to give, but not as a compulsion. Find a way to present your case in a way that the investor, sponsor or brother will see value in what you are saying. You are not being helped simply because it is your right to receive help. I will apply Proverbs 20:16 from now on...
Dad, it is never too late to redeem yourself
At a Sunday school young boys and girls were asked about their dad’s; “Tom how is your dad?” asked the Sunday school teacher. “He is a bad man cried Tom, he is really bad”; “Well I guess we tick him off for hell then…”the teacher responded, jokingly making a mark on paper…”No, no ..." Tom cried the more, "my dad is just bad, but he WILL BE in heaven, he will make it I know, I know…”. It goes to show that no kid thinks their parent will go to hell, no matter what. Your kids always look at you with optimistic eyes, day in and day out. They believe in the good in you.
The question is; “are you a dad dragged right out of hell by your Tom or are you a dad rushing right into it?” It is never too late to redeem yourself; I know it isn’t …. Take time to be a good parent; you can…
{Proverbs 22:6 “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”}
Thursday, January 19, 2012
A definition that can change your life
Ever heard of a word or even said it several times without
really thinking of what it meant? What if that word carried power to completely
change your life every time you said it? Would you not want to know at least
what it meant? Well, I have at imes.
One of the words we use regularly is the word Christ. We sometimes use it as a surname; as in Jesus Christ. It seems Christ is just added to complete his name.
Let us pray:-
One of the words we use regularly is the word Christ. We sometimes use it as a surname; as in Jesus Christ. It seems Christ is just added to complete his name.
But hold on and see this; Christ means {the anointed one and
his anointing}. So he is Jesus the anointed one and his anointing. Ok, so what
does it have to do with anything? To get the answer let us now read Isaiah
10:27:-
“It shall come to pass that day That his burden will be
taken away form your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will
be destroyed because of the anointing oil”
So all these hardships will disappear because of oil? Not
just oil, the yoke removing, burden destroying oil; the anointing oil.
So Jesus Christ is the anointed one and his anointing set to
remove our yokes (whatever makes our lives heavy) and our burdens (whatever
makes our lives difficult). Let us pray:-
Father we thank
you today for Christ; Jesus Christ. We thank you that our burdens are removed
and our jokes are destroyed; and we believe that; for faith is a substance of
things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen. We believe and fully
expect to see the evidence of our yokes destroyed and our burdens removed whaever they are in our lives; in Jesus Name,
Amen.
God bless you;
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Reuben Phala: Don't just stand there, do something...
Reuben Phala: Don't just stand there, do something...: Having lots of issues to raise. Too many things happened since last time we talked. So I will get right on with it ... How about an organi...
Reuben Phala: Don't just stand there, do something...
Reuben Phala: Don't just stand there, do something...: Having lots of issues to raise. Too many things happened since last time we talked. So I will get right on with it ... How about an organi...
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Don't just stand there, do something...
Having lots of issues to raise. Too many things happened since last time we talked. So I will get right on with it ...
How about an organisation celebrating 100 years of its liberation existence, or the a mother dying on a stamped trying to enrol her child at varsity... All these and many more things have rattled my case and got me thinking "Reuben why are you here, no but really why are you alive?" Tough question to ask but what if there was something better than this.
How about those business opportunities I put off kick starting annually and shelving them for the next year. What if that idea will work, what if it won't ... but what am I doing, will I have another life time to see if it works or not?
Had a meeting with a manager at one of my client's business today. She was discouraged because her boss (my client) was not giving instructions or telling her what she must do... For once I sympathizewith her and thought "What an irresponsible boss this guy is..." but before I could finish the pity party, I thought of what one producer posted on his page this morning; it read "They refused to sign me, so I singed myself..." What? So off I went at the manager ....
"OK I am going to talk to you as a friend. Forget that this business belongs to my friend and listen to me as friend" (I was almost seating at the tip of my chair at this point..) "We as leaders are a different brand, "I continued. "...we do not have the luxury to find a path and follow it, we have to make a path. We have to take an axe and chop down trees and make a way... " My point was you cannot just sit there and wait for someone to tell you what to do, do something. That's what makes you a leader.
Are you like that, friend? Are you awaiting for some instruction from somewhere? Are you waiting for permission from someone you can implement your ideas and make things work? Someone must take leadership of your life, and guess what? It is you.
If you are waiting for any of us to do it for you, Well, you are in for a long wait. You need to get started and do something about your situation. Take initiative, knock on doors, start any movement around your situatin and effect chage. God created you with the ability to. Think beyond what you think is the solution and over up yourself for more possiblities. Do something.
How about an organisation celebrating 100 years of its liberation existence, or the a mother dying on a stamped trying to enrol her child at varsity... All these and many more things have rattled my case and got me thinking "Reuben why are you here, no but really why are you alive?" Tough question to ask but what if there was something better than this.
How about those business opportunities I put off kick starting annually and shelving them for the next year. What if that idea will work, what if it won't ... but what am I doing, will I have another life time to see if it works or not?
Had a meeting with a manager at one of my client's business today. She was discouraged because her boss (my client) was not giving instructions or telling her what she must do... For once I sympathizewith her and thought "What an irresponsible boss this guy is..." but before I could finish the pity party, I thought of what one producer posted on his page this morning; it read "They refused to sign me, so I singed myself..." What? So off I went at the manager ....
"OK I am going to talk to you as a friend. Forget that this business belongs to my friend and listen to me as friend" (I was almost seating at the tip of my chair at this point..) "We as leaders are a different brand, "I continued. "...we do not have the luxury to find a path and follow it, we have to make a path. We have to take an axe and chop down trees and make a way... " My point was you cannot just sit there and wait for someone to tell you what to do, do something. That's what makes you a leader.
Are you like that, friend? Are you awaiting for some instruction from somewhere? Are you waiting for permission from someone you can implement your ideas and make things work? Someone must take leadership of your life, and guess what? It is you.
If you are waiting for any of us to do it for you, Well, you are in for a long wait. You need to get started and do something about your situation. Take initiative, knock on doors, start any movement around your situatin and effect chage. God created you with the ability to. Think beyond what you think is the solution and over up yourself for more possiblities. Do something.
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