BOOK OF THE MONTH (2)

WHERE HAS MY CEILING GONE?

AUTHORS: Veenman Warren & Eichhorst Sally

HELICOPTER VIEW:

Warren and Sally are a few of South Africa’s prolific inspirational writers. From a very humble beginning they have established themselves through writing and publishing  books of motivation and inspiration.

They have co-authored a number of motivational and inspirational books. Their popular best seller is “Unleash your Full potential- and Live Your Ultimate Live” that was published in 1998. Their inspirational collection include among others, “DARE To Succeed”, and “If I Can, You Can”.

Their success however, did not come on a silver platter. Before their break through they hit many steel doors and got bruised many times. Many publishing companies showed no interest in their literary efforts. But they were determined to achieve their goal, that was to publish their manuscript. Long story short, they resolved to start their own publishing company to further their dreams as well as to assist other aspirant writers who might have similar experiences. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Through their workshops they continue to inspire more people to lead meaningful lives and to reach their dreams.

TENETS:

STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL LIFE

1.     Raise Your Ceiling - Set your standards higher. A positive self belief is a prerequisite for achieving anything in life. Decide how much you want to grow and how far you want to succeed in life. If you believe in yourself and your potential you should not have a problem in setting standards for your vision  in life.

2. Know What You Want - What’s your ambition? Those who succeed in life have one thing in common. They have a crystal clear idea of what they  truly want out of life. What about YOU? The point is every individual has the potential to succeed and excel in more than one career. Decide which your preferred career in life is.
3. Plan Your Goal-Life is a journey and like any journey you will get lost without a Map to guide you. Your Life Plan is your Map with clear sign posts. Many people in life are involved in planning and organising numerous undertakings but fail or ignore to start where it matters most: Their own lives!
4. Take Action - Invest effort to accomplish your goal. Action speaks louder than wishful thinking. You need to invest time and resources to realise your dream. In short, dream it, plan it and do it!
5. Stamp out worry & Fear: Overcome fear and worry. Most of our negative emotions come from our imagination and not so much from our physical reality. However, if we occupy our minds with the challenges of the day, it becomes difficult for fearful emotions to overwhelm us. At best, you see what you condition yourself to see. Be ready to bite the bullet for what you believe in.
6. Do not Procrastinate – While we cannot change the past, we certainly can do something about today and tomorrow. So do what is doable and don’t slump into a pleasure zone of idleness. Remember time is the primary resource and if valued and utilized appropriately it will yield best returns for everyone.
7. Cultivate a healthy attitude: “It is a mind dominated by positive thoughts that makes it possible for people to reach their dreams, and it is a mind dominated by negative thoughts that keeps others wallowing at the bottom never amounting to anything.” In other words, it is what you cherish most of the time that determines how far you go and achieve in life.
8. Be Humble: “Humility is not a synonym for weakness and vulnerability. Kindness is a virtue difficult to give away. It is naturally returned manifold since it attracts riches and blessings from those around you. In life the more you give the more you get, and the more you share the more you receive.” Therefore you do not have to cultivate new mannerisms to prove your mettle.
9. Dare To Persevere: Don’t give up or drop out in the face of adversities. “Perseverance entails your total commitment and determination to follow through with your plan even in the face of defeat and severe criticisms.” Obstacles and distractions are challenges necessary for our development. Embrace them without losing focus. Put differently, success does not come on a silver platter, nor is it an event. Success is a way of life. So work on it to maintain it.
10. Get the Balance Right: Successful people are balanced people. They know their strengths as well as their weaknesses. They know the dynamics between challenges as and opportunities. They also know that to succeed they have to keep their eyes on the ball.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

1.     You create your own ceiling in life. In other words, you create your own limits to how far you can grow and succeed

2.    Change is always uncomfortable and many of us look upon it with great hesitation

3.    A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step

4.    Most…negative emotions come from our imagination and not from our physical reality

5.    We cannot do anything about the past , but we can do something about today and tomorrow

6.    You cannot allow yourself to underestimate what you think. What you think is what you are

7.    It is a mind dominated by positive thoughts that makes it possible for people to reach their dreams and it is a mind dominated by negative thoughts that keeps others wallowing at the bottom, never amounting to anything

8.    Kindness is something that will naturally be returned to you tenfold as it attracts riches and blessings from others

9.    The more you give of yourself the more you will get…The more you share the more you will receive

10. Perseverance: your total commitment and determination to follow through with your plan, even in the face of defeat and criticism

11.  Nothing can stop a person from succeeding , when they have a strong belief in themselves. Nothing can help a person from failing, when they have no belief in themselves

12. “Every struggle is victory” (Helen Keller)

13. “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty” (Winston Churchill)

14. Your mind can be likened to a garden and you are the gardener. You have two choices: you can either look after your garden or you can ignore it.

15. Life is about perception and  interpretation

16. There are two things to aim at in life, first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it.

17. Maturity is not age related. It’s more a matter of what types of experiences you’ve had the lessons you have learnt from them

18. Put your brain in gear before you put your mouth in motion

VERDICT:

When, a few years ago a friend of mine in Pretoria recommended a book hamper special of five inspirational books, I was elated and knew that he knew my taste buds.  And, when a  week later I receive a parcel from the post office I knew I had something special to revel in . Nicely wrapped was a compact package of five books by Warren Veenman and Sally Eichorst. A literary collection and a treasure I have come to cherish ever since, for it is filled with very uplifting messages.

They are all so interlinked that you cannot read one and leave the others unread. The collection is so inspirational and easy read that every teacher and reader especially the youth will benefit a great deal from these books. I have personally used these to prepare motivational speeches for grades 9 and 12 farewell.