Live in the moments.

  Everyone has heard the saying, “Life is too short.” You may disregard this, as you are only a teenager. Why should you care about the length of your life when you have so many years ahead of you?

While this may be true, the truth is, life goes by fast. If you do not stop and realize just how amazing the little things are, you may be missing out.

The idea is called mindfulness. Living in the moment also improves health. According to a study done in world, practicing mindfulness can reduce anxiety, stress, and has many other benefits.

Many of us live life without really noticing what’s happening around us. When we choose to be mindful, we see every moment unfold. Then we realize what we have done, what we are doing and what we want to do. It seems as though current society remembers the past better than it was, the present worse than it is and the future less resolved than what it will be.

One way to live in the moment is to see what is in front of us: family. Family is usually left in the back of our minds in our lives. For example, what stores did on Black Friday totally degraded the meaning of Thanksgiving. Most camped out at an electronics store on Thanksgiving day, a day where we should take the time to enjoy dinner with our family.  These stores chose to open early just to make more revenue. Instead of spending some quality time with family, people were outside in the cold longing to find the best prices on things they probably will not use within years from now.Another way to live life is to not gravitate on things that cannot be changed such as the past. What is done is done and all mistakes must be learned from. All achievements in the past should not be  welled  upon, but seen as another way to learn how to succeed. We sometimes tend to see the past brighter than what it truly was. We then spend so much time trying to replicate that feeling. We also sometimes tend to see bad events in the past, and cannot let things go.  The fact is, we must leave the past alone. Let it be.

via bikomu.com

You should also keep in mind that the future is not set in stone and anything can happen. A powerful high-paying job does not always result in happiness. When you are deciding majors, find one that you like. Chances are you will feel more successful at a job where you are happy as opposed to a job where you hate with a high pay.

Forrest Gump was onto something when he compared life to a box of chocolates. Each individual moment, like a piece of chocolate, should be savored. If you do not, it will be gone before you know it and you will be sad that you did not take the opportunity to enjoy it.

Accept the past, live in the moment and enjoy everything the world has to offer.

Advise of the day.

I believe that success is dreaming, setting goals and working HARD to achieve those goals consistently. If you are not sure what you want to do, just start working toward SOMETHING until you find your passion. The key to success is persistence and determination. Just do it…because YOU can! No excuses.

"I would say to our youth:

First of all: YOU ALL HAVE GREATNESS INSIDE OF YOU! There is a purpose in each and every one of you, and you must complete the greatness that you were sent on Earth to complete. And this greatness of yours, MAY or MAY NOT be with you making the NBA or becoming a rap/singing star. If it does not involve playing sports or being an entertainer, that’s cool.

Plus, get the best education that you possibly can; whether that’s setting your sights on a four-year college, two-year college or trade school. But, push yourself to do a little more than you think you can do. An example of this would be to look at a four-year college, although you really have your sight set on a two-year institution. At least be aware of what it takes to get into a four-year college. And this awareness should start as early as your eighth grade school school.

For young brothers: If you are in the “drug and guns game,” be careful. Many of our young men thought they could beat the system only to find out that they could not when they lost control. For example, they murdered someone by shooting them after losing their temper and ended up doing major time in prison. Can you imagine yourself doing 20, 25 or 35+ years in prison? The time that’s being handed out by the courts is SERIOUS. Many of the cats that accidentally murdered someone did not wake-up until it was too late. They are now spending most of their lives in prison (many times with major mental sickness).

For young sisters: Maintain your virtue and confidence. You don’t need a young man that’s not treating you right to be complete and fulfilled. You ALREADY are complete. Get busy with the vision (plan) that you have for your life."

" I would say that you need to have a vision and a thankful attitude. Where do you see yourself a year from now? Three years from now? How ’bout when you become a grown-up? Dream as big as you can! Don’t worry about what you don’t have right now but rather be thankful for this moment. Being grateful is a very powerful step to getting where you want to go. When we are thankful for where we are right now, whether that is a 1 bedroom apartment on the 27th floor in the Bronx or in a two family house in Newark, be grateful and watch what happens. Being grateful brings more good things into your life. The more thankful you are, the more great things you attract to yourself; therefore, attracting the right people, teachers and mentors to you and your well-being. I know cause it’s happening to me right now.

Every morning I get up (and before my feet touch the floor) I start giving thanks. Before I became a children’s book illustrator, I would say, ” Thank you Lord that I am a published writer and children’s book illustrator.” I would say it all the time. Now, I am doing just what I said, and I am thankful.

Finally, get around people with good energy who will support you and encourage you. Stay away from those who poo-poo your dreams. Remember, you can’t put a SUPER LARGE VISION in a small mind, or into a mind that isn’t thinking as BIG as you are. It just ain’t gonna work. Keep pressing forward to your vision"

Hope of gain

Most of us are familiar with the saying, “haters are going to hate.”  But one thing a lot of people don’t talk about is how to handle when everyone wants to see you fail.  Rumors, gossip, and hearsay can be a bitch especially when it comes from those close to you.  Over the last several months both Edson and I have posted blog posts on how the fear of loss is much greater than the hope of gain.

Through social media and other mass mediums our culture has become very materialistic.  Often times those that have succeeded in business are viewed “better than” someone who is making an “average” living. Let’s take a look at reality television for a moment.  How many shows are on the cable networks now days where individuals are made famous simply because the way they act on television.  Living in their big mansions, driving their luxury cars, with their biggest problem of the day being who said what while drinking bottles of liquor at the club.  I personally feel that some of this is getting ridiculous!  Seriously what is wrong with people?!

Working online I have had the privilege of seeing some individuals find success in a very short period of time.  It’s not that working online is easy but it’s scalable because you’re not surrounded by four walls and limited to local business.  Depending on your product or service you can have customers around the globe. Look at the powerhouses: Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.  They all have visitors around the globe clicking ads and interacting on their properties.  Mark Zuckerberg had a great idea but he was able to scale so big because his service reached a global audience and with the Internet he had no boundaries. The same goes with many online businesses.  If the product or service is useful and does not suck then it has the potential to reach great revenues sometimes even hitting a “snowball” effect.

via hope.com

Unfortunately success also brings along jealousy and envy.  Using affiliate marketing as an example, how fun is it to see the person you sat beside in college get out and scale their business to millions of dollars a year while you’re still working for “the man” making the modest Tz 600,000 a year?  This irks some people because they wonder “why not them.”  Sometimes this makes them jealous or very envious.  To your face they’re nice to you and praise you for your success but secretly they lie awake at night just waiting for the second you fail.  They may even give it a shot themselves to see if they can’t achieve your level of success but quickly get frustrated and give up when they don’t see results.

A lot of affiliates remember the “rebill days” in 2008 – 2009.  People that had never made a dollar before online quickly scaled to hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.  Profits were very large and quickly lifestyles changed.  Some took this opportunity to invest in other projects and quickly diversify creating very long term business models.  Others spent the money as quick as it came in.  Stemming from a number of changes in the industry unfortunately those that didn’t diversify their businesses and had their eggs all in one basket were found going back out and getting a 9-5 job or latching on to whatever they can to try and avoid having to go “back to work.”  How satisfied to you think many of the haters out there are when they see something like this?  They’re going to be quick to troll you anywa

y they can because they feel a sense of gratitude.

Starting your own business is very challenging.  It can take a toll on your mentally and physically because the hours are never set in stone.  You’re going to have to get up early and stay up late.  While everyone is out on the weekends you’re going to be stuck in dealing with the growing pains especially when you really start to gain leverage.  With all of this going against you it can be very challenging if you don’t have the support of everyone around you.  Rather it be your spouse, your family, or your best friend it’s important to develop a support, but if that’s not possible then you need to be able to block what others say, keep your head up, and focus on the big picture.

Those of you out there reading this that are thinking about starting your own business I want to provide you with a bit of encouragement.  You cannot control actions of those around you but you can control your actions.  Keep focused on your goal and work as hard as possible.  In my experience of working online for the last 2 years, I have never included “can’t” in my vocabulary.  I always say “how can I.”  Those that doubt me are just background noise.  I don’t let them get to me and I continue doing what I love everyday.  Those of you out there reading this that are already successful growing your business, congratulations!  Let those that doubt you continue to talk while you remain focused on growing your future and career!

schoolarships

The Julius Nyerere Master's Scholarships

The University of Edinburgh will offer three scholarships to students from Tanzania for postgraduate Master's study in any subject offered by the University for the 2013-2014 academic session.

The Julius Nyerere Scholarship was set up in 2009 in memory of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere who led Tanganyika to independence in 1961 and became the first prime minister and later president of Tanzania. Nyerere received a scholarship in 1949 to attend the University of Edinburgh where he obtained a Masters of Arts degree that saw him study courses in English, Political Economy, Social Anthropology, British History, Economic History, Constitutional Law, and Moral Philosophy.

The Julius Nyerere Master's Scholarships will cover the full overseas tuition fee, living costs of £10,000, and a return flight from Tanzania to the UK.

The scholarships will be tenable for one academic year. In addition to their studies, the successful applicants will each be expected to participate in Swahili language conversation tutorials. This will amount to no more than 20 hours for each scholar per semester.

Eligibility

The scholarships will be awarded to Tanzanian citizens who are normally resident in Tanzania, and who are accepted for admission on a full-time basis for a postgraduate Master's programme of study at the University of Edinburgh. Applicants who already hold a degree from outside Tanzania will not be considered.

Applicants should already have been offered a place at the University of Edinburgh and should have firmly accepted that offer or be intending to do so.

Criteria

The three Scholarships are awarded broadly on the basis of academic merit, with candidates requiring a Bachelors degree equivalent to a UK First Class Honours ('First') or Upper Division/Upper Second Class Honours ('2:1') degree.

N.B. The Julius Nyerere Master’s Scholarships are highly competitive and only the best candidates are considered. Prospective applicants should note that, to date, in almost all cases successful candidates for the Scholarships have held a First Class Honours degree. Applicants with a 2:1 Honours degree will be considered if they can show a very strong track record of work experience relevant to their prospective degree.

Applying

Eligible applicants should complete an online scholarship application.

The closing date for applications for these scholarships is 1 April 2013.

In Section 3b - "Personal Statement Continued", applicants should write an additional statement: To help identify the very best candidates, this year the committee asks that applicants write between 500 and 800 of words that completes the following: Julius Nyerere would advocate for the University of Edinburgh to offer a basic Swahili language course because...

Without this statement, your application will not be considered.

Please note that you will not be able to access the online application form unless you have applied for admission to the University of Edinburgh and have full EASE authentication.

• Postgraduate Master's Online Scholarship Application Form

Selection Procedure

A Selection Committee will meet in mid May 2013 to select the scholarship holder. The winners of the scholarships will be announced in late May 2013.