All posts by : Success Bridge

“Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes”. – Peter Drucker.

According to Wikipedia knowledge is familiarity or awareness, of someone or something, such as facts, skills, or objects contributing to one’s understanding. From the definition, you can see that the ultimate purpose of knowledge is understanding which helps to shape our decision-making. So where does all of this begin from and where is the endpoint? Acquiring knowledge began for you a long time ago if you are reading this blog post. What have you done with the knowledge acquired so far and are you looking at acquiring more or are you tired of knowledge?

With the cycle of knowledge being unending, you will need to improve on your level of knowledge across academics and life in general. Improvement here means you can not relax on what you have known so far and done in the past. This is because there is always something more to know and understand so you can do things better and better at all times. The person who appreciates the unending cycle of knowledge will always be hungry for improvement as seen in successful students and career persons all over the world.

The knowledge that is not challenged over and over again can be mediocre. You can’t say you are focused on acquiring knowledge constantly and be scared or feel uncomfortable when what you know is challenged one way or the other. You cannot say you are very knowledgeable in a particular subject like Mathematics, English, or Economics and be scared to write exams or get uncomfortable when difficult questions are thrown at you. Such challenges will only make you get better and work harder to acquire knowledge.

The volume of knowledge you have will ever be on the rise as you go for more. Whenever you stop going for knowledge, it’s as good as someone who is dying already. Therefore, going for more knowledge should always be your number one drive as this will constantly help fuel your path to success.

February 25, 2022 | Beatrice Aiyedusho & Emmanuel Ajah

 “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to do it” – J.M Barrie.

Belief, as we already know, is a strong feeling of confidence that we have, most especially in ourselves. A person with belief knows their worth and value while a person with disbelief will constantly look down on themselves and settle for the lesser results when they deserve something better.

Most, if not all, humans have but one general inclination, that of doubting if they could achieve a task even before embarking on it. A student preparing for an examination may begin to doubt if he would be able to pass. But the power of belief cannot be overemphasized. Attesting to this, Theodore Roosevelt, a one-time president of America once said; ‘Believe you are there, and you are halfway there”. Since belief is instrumental in achieving any feat, it is then important to ask; How can one boost one’s belief?

First and foremost, never get intimidated, rather turn any intimidation into a challenge. Many times, we do not believe in our ability to achieve something simply because we know others who we think are superior to us. A student preparing for an examination may feel overwhelmed because other students in his class are better in certain subjects than he is. This may make his belief begin to dwindle. To boost his belief, he needs to see the intimidation as a challenge that would prepare him to study better and be a better version of himself.

In addition, one cannot just dismiss the power of belief that comes from attempting mini tasks. A footballer who doubts if he would score many football goals in a football competition may decide to first of all practice playing football matches with others. As he does this, he may eventually come to see that he has the potential to score goals. This in turn will boost or give him the confidence needed for the main match.

Be positive. The journey to success is not problem-free. Do expect to cross hurdles. When faced with a challenge, most people keep dwelling on the negative side of that challenge. Do focus on the positive part of the challenge, always realizing that each time you subdue a mountainous problem, you come off stronger.

Benjamin Franklin, An American Polymath, and Political Philosopher once said ” You can do anything you set your mind to” which means we can believe in ourselves if we want to but know that believing in yourself doesn’t mean you won’t encounter problems or challenges on your way to success, only that believing in yourself makes you strong and ready to be able to overcome them.

We look forward to your contributions and questions on the topic for the week so we can talk more about boosting on achieving success.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beatrice and Emmanuel are post-secondary school students. They are dedicated to success in their academics and future careers. They are members of the B2SL Success Hub.

“By doing something repeatedly, one’s mind becomes sharper. It teaches dedication.” – Shriya Saran.

Who can believe we’ve already started a new year? Well, that’s how it is with the passing of time! We wish you a happy and prosperous new year from B2SL. 2021 was indeed a year with many milestones, and we are so glad that you made it to the new year. If you feel like you did not reach your goals in 2021, don’t worry about the past, this new year offers another opportunity to strategize afresh and conquer. We hope to inspire you to succeed in 2022 with your permission.

Our value focus for January is dedication. It is a good time of the year to talk about it because most people usually write new year’s resolutions in January or promise to follow through with their dreams, goals, and vision. You may have heard of the practice or even engaged in it yourself. Sadly, the statistics have revealed that over 90% of people who make new year resolutions ditch them before the middle of February forever. If ten people made a new year resolution, only one would stick to it! The question then would be, did you keep the ones you made last year? If not, how do you intend to keep the ones you may have made or will make this year?

Resolutions or goals are not bad because they give you a sense of direction and tell you if you are on track to success. Imagine if you had a game of football without a goal post! The players would just be running around the field aimlessly for 90 minutes without achieving anything. In the same way, when you have goals you are chasing, such as finishing a book, gaining admission, learning a new skill, etc., they help you to be focused. A person who has a goal is better than a person who has none. So, we encourage you to have achievable goals and write them down. However, you must understand that success is more than just writing down on paper.

For you to achieve any goal, you must be dedicated. The Cambridge dictionary defines dedication as the willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is crucial. Most people underestimate the process of success. Whether learning a new skill, going to university, or completing a book, the process is the same. It would help if you committed time and energy to achieve them. 

As you start this year 2022, don’t just shoot aimlessly; instead, ensure that you have goals that you are willing to spend time and energy on. That is the only way to succeed. If you follow this principle, you will be smiling at the end of the year.

What are your goals this year? Are you ready to give them time and energy? If you are not prepared to do that, we advise you to reconsider your plans.

We are always here to help at B2SL. Let us know if you have any issues, comments, or questions about this topic in the comments section below.

Happy new and prosperous year once again.

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits; they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” – Lao Tzu.

How accurate the above quote is! Our thoughts are so powerful that they become our lifestyle. We often talk about the concept of mindset. The mindset of an individual comprises their mental inclination and the set of attitudes they hold. Whatever choice a person makes is governed by their mindset. In fact, except for involuntary ones, every other action a person carries out must have originated from their mind. Therefore, it is a fact that one’s mindset will determine if one withers on the vine or breaks a leg.

There are two types of mindsets: an excellent and a fixed one. When you have an attitude of excellence, you seek improvement rather than being the best at something. You are not afraid of failure and acknowledge that it is integral to success. Now that we have established an excellent mindset, it is essential to ask: Do people’s perspectives draw one closer to their goals? If so, how?

First and foremost, an excellent mindset makes you see your goals as if they were in front of you, thereby taking you closer to them, as it were. The mind is so powerful that it can create a positive impact. A good example is the Placebo. A placebo is a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients. For instance, if given salty water, a malaria patient who thinks the salted water is a malaria drug, will get better even though the salty water has nothing to do with malaria. The patient’s health improved, not because of the salted water, but because he had the mentality that he had taken a malaria drug. That is the power of mindset!

In addition, an excellent mindset takes you closer to your goals by making you very willing to make sacrifices. It makes you convinced that all sacrifices made will pay off. The effort made is like a stepping stone that takes you closer to your goals.

In conclusion, high self-esteem creates a successful mindset. Consistency is needed as one travels in this prosperous terrain. Self-esteem will make you acknowledge that you can achieve your goals. An excellent perspective unarguably takes its owner closer to his goals.