pick up your broken dreams

ALL YOU NEED TO STAGE A COMEBACK FROM YOUR SETBACKS

ALL YOU NEED TO STAGE A COMEBACK FROM YOUR SETBACKS

Pick Up Your Broken Dreams

This is a highly inspirational-motivational book

Retired Professor of Educational and Personnel Psychology Prof., J.O Akinboye

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Highly motivational and inspirational are the quotations and the general content of the book. They are surge of relief to heavy hearts, a beckon hope to those under illusion, healing balm to dejected souls and of course a road map for the discouraged individuals to brace up and tackle the challenges of life, set up the target and realize the goals that could make them shout Eureka! Kudos to the unquantifiable and brilliant effort of the author.Alo DaisiInspector of Police,Eleyele ,Police Headquarters.Ibadan,Nigeria.

Great! Motivating, inspiring, and edifying book for everybody inspiring to be great and to make it in life .IT IS A MUST READ!Tolani, Virtue SanusI.University of Ibadan.

…What a power packed and inspired message God has placed in your hand as you open to read! Every page informs, every paragraph edifies and every sentence is full of provocative thoughts to greatness… It's not just one of the motivational write ups- but I strongly believe it's anointed too. I welcome you on board to the place of greater height as you read through the pages of “Pick Up Your Broken Dream s” Nice Job, Pastor Felix!Engineer Lekan ShabaCanada.

It is a masterpiece, easy to read, simple to comprehend and most importantly, I see it as an inspiration (rather than information) which is sufficient and necessary for transformation. Surely, whoever reads this will not remain the same again, it is either you start something great or something great starts within you. Read it! Dr. Remi Jesulola, Australia

The quest to discover self begins with an inward journey towards God, the author of life.The blazing testimonies scattered all over the pages of this book is fierce enough to soothe the teething problem of dreamers. It is an interesting read for anyone who dares to dream.Dr.Bukola AdewoleUnited Kingdom

Now I'm more than convinced that God can pour Himself into man to bless lives. Keep it up pastor.Ojo Nathanael DamilareUniversity of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Acclaim for this book

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Pick Up Your Broken DreamsDuyilemi Akindele Felix

c Copyright 2012 - Duyilemi Akindele Felix

All rights reserved. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short

quotations or occasional page copying for personal or groupstudy is permitted and encouraged.

Permission will be granted upon request.

PO Box 23092,University of Ibadan, Ibadan Oyo State Nigeria

ISBN 978-978-51279-0-4

For Worldwide Distribution

Printed in Nigeria

This book and all other Aflame Publishing House books areavailable at Christian bookstores nationwide.

For further information call the Author on 8037516476The Publisher on +2348035630958,

+234

Aflame Publishing

HOUSE

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DEDiCATiON

To the lovely memory of my late old school friend, Modimu Akinmeji, though your death was too

sudden, I shall not forget you, for teaching me good handwriting.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

amuel Smiles observes, “Human character

is molded by a thousand subtle influences. SIt is molded by example and precept, by life

and literature, by friends and neighbours. It is

molded by the world we live in, as well as by the

spirits of our forefathers, whose legacy of good

words and deeds we inherit” This book is a

confirmation of the above statement. I am

grateful to every individual who has made any

contribution towards my life since birth till date.

I am grateful to Prof. J.O Akinboye, for his enthusiasm to write the foreword to this book and his invaluable pieces of advice. Sir, you are really great.

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To Engineer Lekan Shaba, Dr. Remi (My great friend!), Dr. Bukola, and Nathanael Ojo (Chemist) thank you for taking your time to go through this work and for your suggestions and wonderful input.

To all my great friends, David Omoboriowo, Eben Alonge, Imule Oyelade, Ojo Nathanael, Tolulope Akin-Fasae, Feyikemi Ajongbolo, Mr. Alo Daisi, Mrs Badamosi, Felix my namesake, Seyi Akintoye, Bode Olatunji, Pst. Tolu Kolawole, Pst. Sam and others too numerous to mention (yes including you!). Thanks for being a friend and for your encouragement

To my great Mother, Christanah Duyilemi, for nine months you carried me in your womb without any complaint! Thank you for being my Mother. To my brother Rotimi Duyilemi and my sister Joke Muyiwa, thank you for your love and support.

To all the great “Mum” Mummy Elizabeth, Mummy Dorcas Odunsi, “Mummy twins” thank you for your love. I am grateful.

Dr. Samson Fatokun & Mrs Oguafor, thanks for moral and financial support.

Virtue Sanusi, thank you for walking into my life

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when I felt my dreams were falling apart and you agreed to pick them up along with me. Thank God for your eyes for “They see”

To the CEO of Aflame Publishing House, Pst. Tunde Idowu-Taylor Thanks for your delightful imput and attractive outcome of this great work.

To my Redeemer, my Saviour, the Lord of my life, the Captain of my soul, my Deliverer, my Helper, my friend, Jesus Christ. You are the reason I live.

Finally, I take responsibility for all imperfections in this book, I shall be a lot better the next time!

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CONTENTS

Foreword 12

Prologue 16

chapter ONE

chapter TWO

chapter THREE

chapter FOUR

chapter FIVE

chapter SIX

chapter SEVEN

Don't Turn a Setback To a Pack Up

Don't Surrender Your Dreams To Your Past

Dream; Yet Another Dream

It's Never Too Late

Opposition: Yes, Expect It

You Will Make It

Everyone Has A Dream [20]

[34]

[48]

[59]

[72]

[80]

[92]

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F O R E W O R D

he book, “Pick up Your broken dream” is an inspirational-motivational book beautifully crafted and spiced with T

spiritual injunctions by Pastor Duyilemi Akindele Felix. Like many inspirational lexicons, Pastor Duyilemi forcefully started his message with the dictum-“Everyone has a dream.” He is sure about this assertion because “God designed everyone to dream.” His admonition is that the individual's dream must not be wasted even in face of huge roadblocks.

Next, Pastor Felix went ahead to isolate “a setback as an important roadblock to dream realization.” Hence he insistently warned that setbacks should not be allowed to degenerate to packing up the pursuit of dreams. He assert-“whatever your

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reason for discouragement and frustration, should not be allowed to destroy the realization of your dreams.”

You should not surrender your dreams to your past says the author. The inspirational author went ahead to assert that a person without dreams has no reason for living. That is, such a person may become complacent, lethargic, dull and not enterprising. He further spiced his assertion with the Joseph of the Bible and his dreams, “Joseph dreamed yet another dream.” The author carefully cited Joseph the dreamer as an example for readers who face persecutions, all forms of stress to take heart because with persistence they will prevail as Joseph did.

“It is never too late to make it in life” says the author. Nothing should stop you from realizing your dream- not even the passage of time. The author unequivocally expressed, “if your life will bear fruits, expect opposition; nobody bothers about a mediocre. Your dreams will certainly attract opposition which you must strive to surmount and move ahead. With persistence, you will make it and realize your dreams.”

This is a highly inspirational and spiritual book.

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Readers will certainly find courage and spiritual rejuvenation as they read the book. I strongly recommend this book to readers for inspirational and spiritual edification.

J.O AkinboyeRetired Professor of Educational and Personnel PsychologyUniversity of IbadanAnd CEO, CYFO Behavioral Limited, Ibadan.

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P R O L O G U E

yles Munroe said, “The wealthiest spot on this planet is not oil fields of Kuwait, Iraq or Saudi Arabia. Neither is it the M

gold and diamond mines of South African, the Uranium mines of the Soviet Union or the Silver mines of Africa…though it may surprise you, the richest deposit on your planet lie just a few blocks from your house. They rest in your local cemetery or graveyard.” He added, “Buried beneath the soil within the walls of those sacred grounds are dreams that never came to pass, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, painting that never filled a canvas, ideas that never became realities, inventions that were never designed, plans that never went beyond the drawing board of the mind and purpose that never fulfilled.” My purpose for writing this book is to

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encourage you not to add to the riches of the cemetery by not fulfilling your dreams on earth. Several people with fantastic dreams have, as a result of one thing or the other, had either abandoned their dreams or put them in a shelf. So many who aspired to do great things in life have now settled for whatever life has to offer. So, a great part of our generation wastes away not knowing that everybody is entitled to greatness through the fulfillment of our individuals' dreams. Names like Awolowo, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Kenneth Hagin, Marco Polo, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Michelangelo , Mother Teresa , David Livingstone, are names of men and women who through their dreams changed the face of their world. These men failed at some point in life, but they did not give up. That is why I have systematically analyzed in this book why you should pick up your broken dreams and move ahead. I know you have a dream which must have motivated you in the first place to pick up this book. It's an investment that is worth the effort (I promise you will not regret it).

Ann Frank said, “Everyone has inside of himself a piece of good news! The good news is that you really don't know,

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How great you can beHow much you can loveWhat you can accomplishWhat your potential is? Until you try”

I have through this book shared a piece of my good news. You may never fully understand what I mean until you get to the end of the book. Winston Churchill observed, “There comes a special moment in everyone's life, a moment for which that person was born…when he seizes it…it's his finest hour.”I pray as you go over this book that this will be your finest hour in the history of your life!

Duyilemi Akindele FelixNovember, 2011.

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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

BOTTOM the eye of man hath not heard, the ear

of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to

taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report,

what my dream was.

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CHAPTER

od has created everybody with the capacity to dream. The difference Gbetween people is that while some have

positively utilized this ability (to dream) others have utilized it in some negative way. In the heart of every sane human being lies a dream.

A dream can be defined as an expected desire of the future state. It's the picture of the person you expect to become, what you want to accomplish with your life, and how you will want to be remembered. So we all dream.

Apart from the fantasies of the dreams we had while we were young like, 'I want to become a doctor because we have just seen a man in white apparel when we visited the hospital, or “I want to

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become a teacher, because of the way the headmaster dressed and everybody respected him.” So we kept changing who we want to become and what we like because of the level of our maturity. But as we grow older, we begin to move away from fantasies to concrete dreams as a result of self-awareness, experiences, potential discovery, education and relationship with God our maker. We begin to listen to that silent longings, desires and cry within the recess of our souls.

Deep within us we can answer the question of how we love to spend our lives. This is where what would have meant to us a mere profession now becomes a calling, and many start seeing professions such as teaching ,medicine, farming ,engineering, information technology, media, writing, singing, humour, dancing, smiling ,and so forth as a kind of calling rather than just a means of sustenance. This is where an individual believes he has got to contribute to his world and be a blessing to his generation.

Stephen R. Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of thHighly Effective People and The 8 Habit wrote,

“There is a deep, innate, almost inexpressible yearning within each one of us to find our voice in

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life” To Stephen, our dreams are our voices in life. Author Sir Lauren van der Post cited by John Mason in his book, “You Can Even if Others Say You Can't” observed, “We have to look into yourselves, look into this container, which is our soul; look and listen to it. Until you have listened to that thing which dreaming through you, in other words answered the knock on the door in the dark…”

Some people ask how do I know my dream? Well, I will answer by saying how do you know your favourite food? What makes you prefer a certain kind of food from the list of menu? That ability is inborn. God who created us and put dreams in us has also endowed us with the ability to identify those dreams. An author once gave 7 rules of identifying our dreams:

1. What we want most?2. What we think most?3. How we use our money?4. What we do with our leisure?5. The company we enjoy?6. Whom and what we admire?7. What we laugh at.?

I will add 3 more to make it 10

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8. What makes us angry?9. What are our unique experiences?10. What do men say about us?

This list is not in any way exhaustive but could stimulate us to think more clearly about our dreams.

The fact that you picked up this book is an indicator that you have a dream. You desire to accomplish some great things in life. That desire has inspired you to pick up this book, it's an investment that is worth the effort (you will not regret it!).

For the purpose of clarification, I have endeavored to discuss some characteristics of a dream below:

EVERY DREAM IS UNIQUE.There is no inferior dream. No two persons have exactly the same dreams even if their dreams look alike; the interpretations of such dreams are different. Just like no two individuals are exactly the same so are dreams. Your dream is unique, different and special from others. That is why the fulfillment of your dream is of critical importance. For instance, you may dream of becoming a great writer and when you consider a number of books

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written by great authors already, you may begin to think that what difference will your name and books make? You may even be discouraged by friends and relatives to give up your dream as it's going to amount to sheer waste of time and resources. But the question is, has there been any writer with your full names? Has there been any writer with exactly the same experiences or ideas with yours? Even if your book is carrying the same title with another writer and similarity of ideas, a careful reader will observe differences of thoughts, analysis, focus, inferences, application and structures.

The purpose of this analysis is to let you know that your dream is unique and different from mine. Even though there have been great writers before you, you can join the league, and you can aspire to become a better writer. You can develop your own style of writing, your audience will notice your uniqueness, and they will observe the difference in your style. You don't have to be intimidated by what others are doing because your dream is unique and special. Eleanor Roosevelt was right when she said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

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EVERY DREAM CARRIES A GREAT POTENTIAL

Like the biblical mustard seed, that was the smallest among all other seeds but when the farmer planted it, it grew to become the tallest of all trees, so is the dream in your heart. Don't underestimate the potential of your dream. Most people have been surprised at the impact of their work, which they considered to be insignificant. For instance, the book 'how to win friends and influence people' by Dale Carnegie was not expected to sell more than few copies but to the surprise of the author the book became the bestseller. Several musicians have expressed surprise at the popularity their songs have gained among people. Some pastors who never thought their churches would fill beyond few hundreds have gone ahead to have big congregation around the world. Such is the potential of a dream.

The divine injunction to every dreamer is 'despise not the day of small beginning.' You can't imagine the effect and impact your dream can make if you will give it attention.

EVERY DREAM HAS IN-BUILT SUCCESS POTENTIAL

We may ask the question of what grows a seed, is it

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the soil, the farmer or the seed itself? The answer is all of the above. A seed needs someone to plant it (you are the dreamer who needs to plant your dream) a seed needs soil to grow (you need to create right atmosphere for the manifestation of your dream) and finally, a seed has life in itself to grow (in your dream lies the in-built potential to succeed).

That is why you mustn't disregard your dream as lacking the potential to succeed. Right inside of your dream is life and you may be surprise how it grows. Plant!

EVERY DREAM GROWS AT ITS OWN PACE.

You can't hurry a seed to grow; every seed has its process of growth. Some seeds grow faster and mature earlier than others. So also are the gestation periods of different animals. Don't compare your dream with others; of course, you don't expect to harvest at the same time if you had planted a coconut seed with someone who planted a groundnut seed. You must know the nature of your dream.

EVERY DREAM HAS ITS OWN CHALLENGES.

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No dream is totally free from challenges. In fact, you can't grow a seed without covering it with soil. The seed has got to fight against the weight of the soil and fight to negotiate its way out of the soil. It can be said that difficulty makes a seed grow. When we realize that challenges are part of the process of fulfilling our dreams we will develop a healthy perception to it. For instance, you may dream of acquiring quality education and your challenges may be repeated failures, finance or health and because of these you may begin to doubt if you would ever accomplish your dream. Don't give up; nobody succeeds without his own mountain to conquer. Now turn to the next chapter.

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The future belongs to those who believe in the

beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt

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EDWARD BURKE

Difficulty is a severe instructor, set over us by the

supreme ordinance of a parental Guidance who

knows us better than we know ourselves, as he

loves us better too. He that wrestles with us

strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill; our

antagonist is thus our helper.

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CHAPTER

Failure is not final; it's an opportunity to begin more intelligently.

Henry Ford

iscouraged? Frustrated? Disappointed? Have you tried and it seemed it didn't Dwork? Are you faced with the critical

comments, unfriendly environment, non-supportive relatives and you are almost packing up or you have packed up. Maybe, you have concluded your dream is not worth pursuing again because of moral failures, personal weakness, economic factor, a sense of incompetency and so forth. This book is for you.

Whatever your reason for discouragement and frustration, it's understandable. Life itself is not

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generous and every dreamer has got to face with the so-called vicissitudes of life. Jesus Christ went through betrayal, beatings, mockery, torture and crucifixion before he could procure salvation for mankind. It wasn't easy! Had he given up or packed up, his name wouldn't have made any difference. The point I am making is that to wear the crown you may of necessity pass through the cross. No other route! The cross experience may be difficult and that is why most people do not want to go through the stress and eventually die in their comfort zone.

Great men were all products of the University of 'It isn't Easy.' Thomas Edison didn't see the fulfillment of his dream until he was reported to have 'failed' 999times.Most dreamers would have packed up before this time, they might even rationalize it with the statements like, 'Maybe it's not God's will for my life'( perfect Christian's defense mechanism!) 'Maybe others will do it.' 'The environment is not supportive.' 'I don't have enough funds.' These are some of the reasons most people turn their temporary setback to a permanent pack up.

Another man we like to talk about today who achieved his dream despite challenges is

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Abraham Lincoln, the 16 president of America. Lincoln was raised in abject poverty. In his own words, five month before receiving his party's nomination for president, Lincoln sketched his life in the following words:

“I was born February 12, 1809 in Hardin county, Kentucky, my parents were both born in Virginia of undistinguished families…My mother who died in my tenth year, was of the family of name Hanks…My father was removed from Kentucky to Indiana in my 8years…it was a wild region with many bears and woods. There I grew up…of course when I came of age I didn't know much. Somehow, I could read, write and cipher…but that was all.”

Lincoln wouldn't give up; he overcame his lack of education, aspired to become the best he could become American president. Tall dream! He failed several times to actualize this dream. For instance:He failed in business in 1831He tried again in 1833, and failedIn 1835, he lost his fiancéeHe was defeated for the post of the speaker in 1835His new relationship failed again in 1836.He was defeated consecutively in 1842 and 1844

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in the race for US congressHe lost the senatorial seat in 1855In 1855 and 1858 he lost the seat for Vice-President

thHowever, he was elected as the 16 President of The United State of America in 1860.

Abraham Lincoln didn't allow his setback to become a pack up. He didn't allow a road bump to turn to a roadblock. Today we talk about his success but he knew the pain of failures-every dreamer does.Has your dream become shattered owing to lack of support or finance? Yes, I am aware that lack of fund can pose a serious threat to the fulfillment of your dream. It has caused most dreamers to put their dreams on the shelf of forgetfulness .Let me illustrate this from the story of my life. I will like to write about my dream to acquire quality education and the challenges that I faced largely in the area of finance. I have chosen to write about this aspect of my dreams because that is the area I believe to have achieved a measure of success despite all odds.

I was about 10, when my father died. He left us penniless at his death. My mother did all forms of odd jobs in order to take care of us (I salute her

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courage!).Relatives didn't come to our aid and the earnings of my mother seemed to be insignificant in the face of myriad of responsibilities that confronted us. I was in primary four at this time when my education stopped temporarily. My elder brother managed to finish his secondary school education and my immediate elder sister dropped out of school to assist the family. Anyway, my dream of going to school remained with me and I constantly thought about it. One day, after two years of leaving school I called my Mum, on our way back from the farm that I would like to go back to school because I didn't want to spend all my life in the farm and become a local farmer! You may be thinking whether I was precocious. Yes, you are right, I was. My mother was touched at my proposal and promised she would do everything within her capacity to ensure I was back to school.

I resumed to school and began where I had stopped while my other mates had gone ahead of me, but that wasn't a big deal the most important thing was, 'Felix is back to school.' I finished my elementary school and proceeded to high school amidst financial struggles. Well, my dream of getting educated was stronger than the pain I was passing through and that was my saving grace: I would have given up. After my secondary school

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education, I nursed the dream of getting tertiary education; a feat nobody has ever achieved in my family but the challenge was, “who will sponsor me?” To sum it, I was admitted to the Premier University of Ibadan where I bagged double honour degree in Chemistry/Physics and education and graduated magna cum laude and as at the time of writing this book I am about completing my Masters Degree program from the same University and plan to start my PhD as soon as possible. I am now very convinced that when there is a will, there will be a way. John Mason intones, “Refuse to let yourself become discouraged by temporary setbacks. If you are beginning to encounter some hard bumps, don't worry. At least you are out of a rut. Circumstances are not your master.” It was Lou Holtz who said, “Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity” Dr. Animasahun,a counseling Psychologist at University of Ibadan, noted, “Man is born with problems and into a problematic world; hence, he is constantly confronted with problems and situations that require quick decisions to improve human condition. You cannot run away from problems because there lies your fortune. The reason why you have problem is that you have the solution.

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Problems come to spur you on to a greater height in life. Great men in life are great crisis managers. Without problems, you will never grow, you will never learn and life will be uninteresting…”

What is your dream? What has happened to it? Are you currently facing a setback? Will you allow a setback to become a pack up? Don't. Remember, “Every failure brings with it the seed of equivalent success” said Napoleon Hill. Keep in mind this old poem:

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,The road you are trudging seems all uphill,When funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,When care is pressing you down a bit,Rest, if you must, but don't quit.Life is queer with its twists and turns,As every one of us sometimes learnsAnd many a failure turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out;Don't give up though the pace seems slowYou may succeed with another blowSuccess is failure turned inside outThe silver tint of the cloud of doubt,And you can never tell how close you are;It may be near when it seems far, so stick to the

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fight when you're hardest hitIt's when things seem worse that you must not quit.

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Every failure brings with it the seed of equivalent success” said Napoleon Hill.

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DUYILEMI A. FELIX

Don't allow regrets to replace your dreams

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CHAPTER

Rejoice not over me, o my enemy when I fall I shall rise, when I sit in darkness, the lord will be

a light to me. Micah 7vs 8

here are two ways in which you can view your life; you can look at the past and Tcount your failures or look at your future

and count your dreams. It's what you count that counts!

Your past can become a limitation to what you can achieve and become in the future. Some people have become imprisoned by their past that they have no hope of fulfilling their dreams. John Mason observed, “Regret looks back; worry looks around; faith looks up!”Jim Rohn in his book, 7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness, notes,

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/ 51 / don't surrender you dreams to your past

“Many people are afraid to get going because of past failure and pain. They carry heavy burdens on their souls, burden that unless they unloaded will weigh them down forever…there is nothing you can do about the past. It is gone and buried”

One thing we must know is that whatever happened in the past is gone and we can do nothing about it. But, most times rather than putting the past behind us we hold unto it in our memories which now constitute a mental block that keeps us from advancing and pursuing our goals and dreams. When this happens, one becomes confined and stagnant instead of moving on to success. That dear woman of God, Kathryn Kuhlman notes, “It seems the easiest thing in the world to live in the past. When we live in the past, there are and will be regrets.We see the nurturing of hurt feelings. There will be thought of injustice,there will be memories of things that should be buried and forgothen. We are reluctant to loose our hold on the past and hesitate to start living the future. As a result, instead of joy and adventure, we know only the pangs of remorse,and we never have peace of mind.”

Since, we can't alter our past, we are supposed to focus on our present actions and take control of

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our future. You see, God is not overly concerned with your past failures-because is not limited by them- and He doesn't keep reminding you about your past failures in order to torment you. When that happens, it must be the devil at work. The devil doesn't know about your future (that is in the hand of God) but he is handy with the history of your past to keep control of your future.

You have a decision to make either to use your past to your advantage or allow your past to take advantage of your future. You can make your past work for you when you learn from it and use the lesson to influence your present decision in order to avoid the negative result you had in the past or you can allow your past to take advantage of you by preventing you from trying, aspiring and advancing. Robert Schuller questioned, “Are old hurts, old defeats, and old setbacks haunting, holding, and hurting you?

“I'll never get married again.”“I'll never trust anyone again”“I'll never believe God again”“I'll never go into business again”“I've been burned once-never again”He added, “ If you think this way then you have allowed past unfortunate incidents to move in and

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dominate you. Don't let bad memories manipulate you.”

You need to understand that every successful person had his or her own past. In fact, if you have the privilege to listen to the story of some successful people, vis-à-vis, their beginning, their mistakes and failures- you will be encouraged. You may then reason that you have not really done anything compared to them to merit being called a permanent failure. John Mason said, “Failure may look like a fact, but it's just an opinion. Successful people believe that mistakes are just feedback. It's not how far you fall but how high you bounce that makes the difference.”

Apostle Peter left an indelible mark in the history of Christianity. He wielded a great influence in the early church history, his impact was indeed great. Did he have a negative past? Did he ever fail? Yes, Peter failed gallantly. At a point in his life he missed it greatly. At the arrest of Jesus, Peter denied ever knowing him, a man he walked with, ate with, and accompanied everywhere. How come he didn't know him? After the death of Jesus, peter called the rest disciples and said, 'I quit' get me my fishing net and paraphernalia, let's go fishing! This was a critical moment in the life of a

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formal heavy faith champion!

Peter thought he had lost the possibility of being used by God again, after all, he has just denied Jesus Christ, the future was no longer real to him, and he would take to what seemed sure to him-fishing. However, it is significant to know that when Jesus resurrected from the death he sent for Peter and commissioned him to feed his lamb. Why? Because God is not investing in our past but in our future!

Are you crying over the mistake you made in the past? Will you allow your past failures to destroy your dreams? You don't have to allow the accusation of your past to stop the inspiration of your future. Pick up your broken dreams and move on. Joel Osteen writes:

Let go of your failures and let those doors totally closed behind you. Step forward into the future that God has for you, knowing there's nothing you can do about past disappointments. You can't change the past, but you can do something about the future. What's in front of you is far more important than what is behind you. Where you are going is more significant than where you came from or where you have been.

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It seems the easiest thing in the world to live in the past. When we live in the past, there are and will be regrets.

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God is not investing in our past but in our future!

DUYILEMI A. FELIX

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After his laboratory was razed by fire

THOMAS EDISON

WE ARE REBUILDING…

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CHAPTER

“… Joseph dreamed yet another dream”

When a man doesn't have a dream for living, he no longer has a reason for living and should therefore be preparing for his burial. Dream is what keeps us alive. It's what gives the strength for the present and hope for the future.

Joseph story is a familiar story in the Bible. He was the son of old Jacob and beloved of his father. His problem began when he started having dream. Dreams invite problems. If you don't have dreams, you may not have challenges, you may not have to face criticism, you may not have to sleep late or wake early. You will not have stress, which is also a

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very dangerous state of living. It's the state the Canadian Scientist, Hans Selye called hypostress. It's a dangerous kind of stress.

Selye proposes four different types of stress, which he called the eustress, the distress,the hyperstress,and the hypostress.

The eustress or good stress is the kind of stress that accompany some set of goals we aim to achieve, like going to school, starting up a business and so forth. He explains that the distress is the kind of stress that comes as a result of poor management of the former or other life threatening events. This he also refers to as negative stress. The hyperstress comes when a person attempts to handle several things at the same time and these things tap beyond the person's coping capacity. The last one, which is hypostress, comes when a person is understress or lacking in stimulation.

So, Joseph was in Hypostress stage until he began to dream. Before, he was just his father's pet; he would wake up in the morning, eat and play around to come back and sleep at night. That was the routine of his life until he woke up one day and announced, 'I have a dream!’

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And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

… S o t h e y h a t e d h i m m o r e f o r h i s dreams…Gen.37vs6-8

Their hatred silenced Joseph for a while and his brothers were happy because they have been able to keep his mouth shut by their threat. Peace seemed to reign at home because nobody was dreaming again. One day Joseph woke up and called the entire family and announced, 'I have dreamt again!’

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

And he told it to his father, and to his brethren:

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and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, what is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.Vs9-11

This time instead of Joseph to shrink back on his dream he expanded its size. The dream will either send him to the throne or to the grave, it's either of the two, but Joseph was ready.

Now, maybe the first time you dreamt, situations around you didn't encourage you, and like Joseph, your friends, and relatives ridiculed both you and your dream or the society doesn't expect the kind of person like you to dream.

Maybe, finances, faces, fences, farces, facility, friends, fierce-opposition, fears, foes all stood up and said, 'shut up, who are you?' And because of these Fs you have stopped writing, stopped singing, stopped going for audition, stopped preaching, closed up your business, and stopped expecting to succeed. My question to you is will you stop dreaming?

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/65 / pick up your broken dreams

Like Joseph did, rise up again! Talk to yourself that though the first time I dreamt I wasn't encouraged, I felt disappointed in fact I failed. But I am not going to stop dreaming, I am going to dream again even though there is the possibility that I fail again. While people are going about discussing your failures, stand up and announce to the world you are back again!

This time, don't make your dream smaller to accommodate your failures, make it bigger, expand its scope, and let it be intimidating. Tell your friends, family and foes that you have dreamt another fantastic dream and this time around it's going to work. Announce to: funds facilities Faces Fearsthat you have come again and that they must cooperate with you.

Tell your fears they aren't big enough and that God is on your side, the result is going to be different this time. Announce to the oppositions that they aren't big enough, smile over adversities and march on confidently to fulfill your dreams.

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Tell yourself you are better off than you were before, that you have gathered more experiences, you have learnt from the mistakes of your past and that you are more skillful now to succeed than you were in the past.

I will encourage you to personalize the following statement by Robert Schuller:Failure doesn't mean I am a failure…It does mean I haven't succeeded yet.Failure doesn't mean I haven't accomplished anything…it does mean I have learnt something.Failure doesn't mean I am a fool…it does mean I had a lot of faith (at least to try)Failure doesn't mean I have been disgraced…it does mean I have to do something differentFailure doesn't mean I don't have it…it does mean I am not perfect yetFailure doesn't mean I am inferior…it does mean I have not wasted my life…It does mean I have a reason to start again.Failure doesn't mean I should give up…it does mean I must try harder.Failure doesn't mean I will never make it…it does mean it will take a little longer.Failure doesn't mean God has abandoned you…it does mean God has got better plans for my life.In all, you mustn't stop dreaming. John Mason

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observes, “The fact that you fail is proof that you're not finished.” Remember, your setback can become a stepping stone to a resounding success. Dream again. This time make it bigger!

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The fact that you fail is proof that you're not finished. - John Mason

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AMITABH SINGH

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO MAKE IT

IN LIFE…

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CHAPTER

o you think it's too late to gather your broken dreams? Never. A Chinese adage says the best time to plant a coconut seed D

was 20years ago and the second best time is now. Use time; don't allow time to use you. This could be your brightest time on earth if you won't believe your chances are over.

Don't think you are too old to dream again or to pick up your broken dreams; a fool at forty isn't a fool forever if he refuses to believe his one. In fact, a fool at forty can become the wisest man at forty-one depending on the decision he makes.

Abraham didn't see his dream child until he was a hundred.

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/ 75 / it’s never too late

Moses started actualizing his dream has Israel's deliverer at 80.

Sir Richard Arkwright was 50 when he began to learn English grammar and improve his writing and spelling.

Benjamin Franklin was over 50 before he began the study of science and philosophy. At 81, he framed the US constitution.

John Milton, though blind was over 50 when he sat down to complete his epic poem 'The paradise lost'Sir Water Scott, at 55, took up his pen to redeem a liability of $6millon.

John D. Rockefeller was still making a million dollars a week before his death at 93George Bernard Shaw was 94 when one of his plays was first produced.

Grandma Moses, at 80, started her painting career. She completed 1500 paintings in her lifetime, 25% of the paintings were done when she was over 100.

George Burns, at 80 won his first Oscar.Winston Churchill, at 65 became the Prime

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Minister of England.

So nothing should keep you down. Do you dream to have higher education qualification? If yes, go back to school even if you are seventy and your eyes are still good enough to read or better still, if you can't read clearly, go get glasses! I have people in my Masters class who are old enough to be my father yet they still came for the program. It may be late but never too late.

Some think they will die soon and therefore instead of aspiring to develop and improve themselves or pick up their abandoned dreams they are busy preparing for their burial! You see, God doesn't want you to die before you are dead. He desires you live until death. A man said, “The greatest tragedy in life is not that we die but what dies in us while we live.”John Mason noted, “Everybody dies, but not everyone has lived.” Since you don't know when you will die, leave death, it's not your business. Horace Mann was right when he said, “Be ashamed of death until you have won some victory for humanity.” You have got so much to think about than to clog off your mind with what you don't have control over. Live!Let an epitaph be written on your tombstone that he is a great man who achieved great things and

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/ 77 / it’s never too late

kept dreaming until his last.

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Everybody dies, but not everyone has livedJohn Mason

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DUYILEMI A. FELIX

IF YOUR LIFE WILL BEAR FRUIT,

EXPECT STONES.

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CHAPTER

“But when Sanballat heard we were building the wall , he was angry and in great rage, and

he ridicule the Jews” Neh. 4vs1

f you would rise and pick up your broken dreams you should expect opposition. There are some who would remind you of your past I

and advise you to stay cool in order not to expose yourself to failure again. Anytime you set out to make a difference or attempt to be different, expect opposition. Opposition is the very proof t h a t y o u h a v e b e g u n a j o u r n e y t o greatness.Nobody bothers about a mediocre. Your dream will normally attract three categories of people:

Those who are excited about it.Those who are indifferent about it.

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Those whoare angry about it.Share your dream with the first group, nobody succeeds in isolation. Insulate your dream from the second category if not they will effect it with their cold spirit. Hide your dream from the third category; they may kill your passion and your dream .These are people Dr. Animasahun called, “problem imaginators, failure predictors, trouble visualisers, obstacle envisioners, and exaggerated cost estimators!”Keep away from them!

If you must move forward, expect criticism. Never worry about those who criticize you unjustifiably, it's because there something unique about you. Nobody throws a stone on a fruitless tree. If your life will bear fruit, expect a stone-it is normal. Kenneth Tynan opines, “A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car”

When a man has no sense of future, yours may become his area of concentration, that was the case with Sanballat, and there are plenty of Sanballats around. When Nehemiah heard that the wall of Jerusalem has collapsed, and its fortified gates are destroyed by fire, he proposed to do something about it. He dreamt about raising it. Sanballat cast aspersion on Nehemiah and his dream. He said:

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/ 85 / opposition: yes expect it

“What does this bunch of poor, feeble, Jews think they are doing” he scoffed. “Do they think they can build the wall in a day if they offer enough sacrifices? And look at those charred stones they are pulling out of rubbish again! … “If even a fox walked along the top of their wall, it would collapse!”Neh.4vs2-3

Never allow anybody to talk you out of your dream. John C. Maxwell quipped, “If you think you have a great idea, don't let anyone talk you out of it even it sounds foolish.” Learn not to listen to your critic, it's not necessary. When you give attention to critics you have only succeeded to distract yourself. Opinions are cheap; everybody is entitled to their own. You see, critics are specialist when it comes to finding faults. I don't mean you should hate constructive criticism because sometimes we see better through the eyes of others. The point I am emphasizing is that there are some people you just have to ignore if you will succeed in life.

When they tell you that your style of writing is poor, don't mind them, so they told Steve Brown the popular author of “how to talk so people will listen”

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When they tell you that you are not creative and original, don't mind them, so they told Walt Disney the inventor of Mickey Mouse.

When they tell you that you can't make it don't mind them, so they told Albert Einstein, the physicist.

If they tell you that you don't know how to talk and that nobody will listen to you, don't mind them, so they told Lester Sumrall, the popular

thpreacher of the 20 century.

When they tell you, you are a dunce and your chance of success is slim, don't mind them so they told Thomas Edison, the inventor.

When they say you can't amount to much because of your previous failures, don't mind them so they told Winston Churchill, the late prime Minister of England…learn not to listen to critics.

Don't forget this, people are people whether in Japan, Jerusalem or Johannesburg, learn to handle them.

When they say don't write-go ahead and write.When they say don't sing-go ahead and sing

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/87 / opposition: yes expect it

Whatever they said you couldn't do that may be the proof of what you can do! An anonymous author wrote, “All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough; they will say you are the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. They will tell you no, a thousand times no, until the entire no becomes meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. And you will tell them yes!” Robert Schuller cautioned, “I must warn you against the most dangerous and destructive force on earth. It is the negative thinking expert. Because he is an expert you will be tempted to listen uncritically, trust him, and quit! Struck by the authoritarian position that he holds, you will tend to believe him without question. We hear through our peer, not through our ear!”

Let your result “justify” you.“So we build the wall all (of it) was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart and mind to work”Neh4vs6.

Nobody argues with results. Your best defense against your critics is your result. They may ridicule your actions but not your results. Your

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result will silence your critics.When Apostle Peter and John were questioned about the miracle they performed at the beautiful gate, they simply allowed their result to answer for them, here is the reply: “But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say” Acts 4vs14

When your critics begin to notice your results, they will admit their mistakes and change their minds. The key principle you shouldn't forget is this: never you focus your attention on your critics, focus it on your dream.

Don't be distracted; the glory of your results is far greater than the stain of ridicule. Pick up your broken dream; don't allow what they will say to keep you from pursuing your dream. Let them say! What is important is what is God saying about you and not what people say and don't allow the fear of what will people say to stop you from pursuing your dreams. People will always say something but they will stop insulting you when you start producing results.

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If you think you have a great idea, don't let anyone talk you out of it even it sounds foolish.

Johc C. Maxwell

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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond

measure,we ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, talented

gorgeous and fabulous?Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing it

small does not serve the world, we were born to make manifest

the glory of God withine us, and as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people

permission to do the same

ANONYMOUS

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7CHAPTER

“For a righteous man falls seven times and rise again.” King Solomon.

t's not a number of times you fall that count what count is whether you stand up and keep Iworking again. A successful man is the one

who refuses to quit despite repeated failures. You may be going through tough times now, your dreams might have been broken by some negative experiences and situations but you will still make it.

I have written this book for you. The main message is that you can pick up your broken dreams and rise again. The most important thing in life is how you end, I am sure you will get to the finishing line. Your generation will celebrate you. You will be

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/ 95 / you will make it

given a standing ovation, they will shout “here comes an achiever, and a man who rose through difficulty to stardom.” You will know the joy of success and fulfillment.

Pick up your dreams again, has your education stopped? Stop watching your dream pass before you; go back to school, sit for another exam, apply for scholarship , read, get a tutor. Whatever it is, start now.

Don't let the number of wasted years stop you; the beauty of it is that you can still do something. God hasn't given up on you, maybe, others had. Don't give up on yourself.

Let's consider briefly the story of Moses from the bible. Moses grew in the palace and later realized he wasn't part of that environment. He felt the suffering of his people and dreamt he could be their messiah, but he failed .The very people he wanted to help betrayed him. Disappointed, Moses ran away from Egypt and also, from his dream. He wandered 40years in the wilderness; at this time everybody had forgotten him. Nobody knew he would ever succeed again; even Moses had given up on himself. One day Moses led his sheep to the far back of the dessert, there he met

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with God, and there he reconnected his dream. God announced to Moses in a dramatic encounter, “Pick up your broken dream” He continued, “I have heard the cry of my people and I am sending you to deliver them, go I will be with you.”

Like everyone who had known the pain of frustration, Moses hesitated. He began to give excuses; he remembered how his first attempt failed. He told God “I can't.” God replied you can, I will be with you and this time you will succeed.Like Moses did, you may feel reluctant to gather your broken dreams. You may remember your previous failures and don't want to go through such again. This time God has sent me to tell you to pick up your broken dreams, you are going to succeed.

My Encounter with the Great.One day, I was going through the bible, there I came across the verse, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses, let us throw aside everything that hinders and the sin that entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked for us” Heb.12vs1

In my mind I considered that this great cloud of

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witnesses must be winners. They must be successful dreamers and I thought were perfect individuals. Then as I gazed into the cloud with the mind to learn more and to see those people who constituted this great cloud of witnesses. The first man I saw was Abraham, the father of faith. As I looked at him I felt incompetent, I wouldn't expect to make it like Abraham did. A man called the friend of God and the father of faith, how could I expect to make it like he did? In my frustration, I almost turned away when father Abraham looked at me and said, “Young man, you thought I was perfect and succeeded without any failure, you are very wrong. My feet were glued to the floor, as Abraham continued, “You remember I lied to save my life when I told them in Egypt that Sarah was my sister. ...you guys have been made to believe that as the father of faith I never had my own challenges too, you are wrong. You should also remember I slept with my housemaid because I could no longer wait for the promise of God.” He continued, “Today, I am part of this great cloud of witnesses because God didn't give up on me.” I said thanks to father Abraham; I thought you never failed; now I see I was wrong.

Then as I continued to gaze at the cloud, I saw a man I recognized to be Elijah, the prophet of fire. I

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was happy to see one of the greatest prophets of all time, I said, “Sir, I don't think I will ever make it, like you did, I am unlike you.” I began to mention Elijah's credentials, I said, “You were a powerful prayer warrior, you were bold and courageous…I lacked some of the qualities I saw in you.” The prophet of fire didn't interrupt me; he allowed me round off and said, “Young man, you are wrong! You thought I am here because I never failed, that is not correct.” Elijah, continued, “In fact, seeing me here should encourage you that you too can make it.” I became more attentive, as he continued, “you remember,” with smile on his face, “that I ran away from a woman! You should equally remember, I told God, “ I have had enough, kill me I was no better than my ancestors”” The prophet continued, “as I recall the incident now I felt ashamed, anyway, the beauty of it is that I am here today because God didn't give up on me.” My face became lighten with smile as Elijah melts into the cloud.

Before me stood another giant, a man the bible recognizes to be a man after God's heart. I was happy to meet David, I love him. I have read so much about him: his triumph over Goliath, his forgiving heart, and his quality psalm of praises. As I began to tell David all I knew about him, he

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looked at me with a quizzical expression on his face and said, “Young man was that all you knew about me? You are wrong! You only knew about my successes what about my failures?” I became surprised. David gently leaned on me and said, “Do you remember my saga with Bathsheba, Uriah's wife? I am sure you do,” I nodded slightly in agreement. He continued, “You remember I killed Uriah just because of his wife,” at this point he bowed his head and added “that was the height of irresponsibility, I wonder if I ever did that.” He looked at me with radiant smile on his face and said, “Youngman, I made it because God didn't give up on me.”Then the whole cloud of witnesses gathers with glorious faces and began to sing with one voice:You can make it.We did.We had our own mistakes.We failed several times.We were also discouraged.We thought we would never make it.But God didn't give up on us.You too can make it.We did.

Never, Never, Never, Never, Never give up. You will make it.

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It was a wonderful sight to see Jacob, Isaac, Paul, Peter, Samson, Rahab, Ruth, David, Abraham and a host of others singing joyfully that I can make it. I was encouraged. I talked to myself, yes I can make it and I will make it!

You too can make it. You can still succeed no matter what has happened. God is not through with you yet. Pick up your broken dreams and move ahead. I am sure you will make it.

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Ah, great it's to believe the dream as we stand in youth starry by the starry stream; but a

greater thing is to fight life through and say at the end, the dream is true.

Edwin Markham

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That the almighty directly intervenes in human affairs is one of the plainest statements in the Bible. I have had so

many instances when I have been controlled by some power than my will. I have no doubt that this power

comes from above.

Abraham Lincoln.

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MEET THE SOURCE OF ALL TRUE SUCCESS

Without me you can do nothing…Jesus Christ.

Jesus wants to be your friend. He wants to help you succeed and fulfill the dreams of your heart, he has helped several people. Jesus Christ knew the joy of fulfillment and He wants to help you to experience it in full.

He asks you today if you will allow Him to be the Lord of your life by acknowledging the fact that He came to the world to take away your sins, shame, failures and guilt and to confess Him as Lord and Savior. Then together with Him you can succeed.

You will be glad you did.

E P I L O G U E

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ABOUT DUYILEMI AKINDELE FELIX INTERNATIONAL(DAFI)

Duyilemi Akindele Felix International is a life empowerment training company. We specialize in training, coaching and consultancy on conflict prevention, settlement, resolution and transformation.

Also, we render services on creative techniques, stress management, life skills, proposal development and writing, potential utilization and leadership empowerment.

Our motivation is to see individual, group, corporate organizations, NGOs, Ministries handle conflict creatively, cope healthily with stress, develop lateral thinking capacity and perform at their peak.

CONTACT USFor seminar, training, consultancy please contact [email protected] : [email protected] call:+2348037516476,+2348055737960

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Selye

Singh, A(1996). Don't Let College Hamper Your Education. Better Yourself books, Mumbai.Smiles, S (1987). Self-Help. Better Yourself Books, MumbaiSchuller, R. (1973).You Can Become the Person You Want to Be. Hawthorn books, Inc.

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N o t e

Animasahun R.A(2011). Success Key:A Handbook on Creativity for

All.Stevart Grarhics,Ibadan.th

Covey R.S(2004). The 8 Habit. Free Press,New York.Duyilemi A. F(2007).Your Importance to Your Generation.Adonai press,Ibadan.

Brown,S (1993). How to Talk So People will Listen, Joint Heirs Publications, Benin City, Nigeria.Kuhlman, K(1989). In Search of Blessings. Bridge-logos,Florida, USA.

Mason, J (2003).You Can Do It, Even If Others Say You Can't. Revell, Grand Rapids.Munroe, M.(1999).Understanding Your Potential. Destiny Image Publisher, USA.Osteen, J(2007). Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Everyday. Free Press, New YorkSelye, H (1974).Stress Without Distress. Retrieved from

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