RUN FOR LIFE

Good better best, I shall never rest, until my good is better and my better best. “The words of nursery rhyme I remember singing gone in my days at Kindergarten”. These words were also highlighted at a speech of mine years ago emphasizing the need for us all to take our life journey seriously so we can daily improve every way possible.
Except the journey’s seen as very important, there will be no drive to deliver the dreams safely daily. You must wake up with a mindset that the experiences and or successes seen yesterday is your least and tomorrow would be your best life which however is running now.
Dr. Myles Munroe once shared his life story at a conference I attended about their love for fruits of their neighbours which he and his brother always skipped their fence regardless of a ferocious looking Alsatian dog in the home.
One day while on the tree plucking fruits the dog showed up and began barking. He was alone that fateful day, jumped down and literally ran for his life, when he got to the fence, energy unimaginable showed up ‘putting him in a vantage position never experienced he jumped and arrived at the tip of the fence, on the other side in no time-their own house.
The young Myles said he looked back and didn’t think he was the same person who over the years spent time climbing the same fence gently to the other side and back.
Our real life exists someplace beyond what we have experienced since our existence. The real life lives within, where the moral of the story comes from; Myles had always being able to do that jump, but the energy locked within was set free that day due to the fact that he chose to run for his life.
We live a laidback life until the life we are living gets used up and boring to the extent that we get angered inside and deploy your developed life inside-the real life which will only work this week when you decide to run for your life.

RESCUED RATS

An experiment was conducted in which a group of scientists observed some rats in a tank of water to see how long they would survive before drowning. The average time was 17 minutes. They repeated the experiment, this time rescuing the rats just before drowning.
When the “rescued rats” were submerged in the water again, the average survival time increased to 36 hours! The scientists explained that the second time around, the rats had hope and believed they could survive because they had been saved before.
Beginning the second half of this year; you, me, we will thrive regardless of the first half’s outcome. Take a moment to think about the rats “firstly, they made it till the seventeenth minute: only to travel further and farther-thirty; six hours broken down, has two thousand one hundred and sixty minutes” should you want to think outside the box that means we have seventeen minutes in one hundred and twenty seven places, which will be over 100%.
How did the rats surpass their first limit, they had hope and believed they could survive simply because they’ve been saved before. Key words “hope and belief” got them going further and farther from 17mins to 36hrs (2160mins) some 127times longer than their first effort.
English dictionary defines hope as; “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or events will turn out for the best.” The research submissions simply said the rescued rats anticipated things will turn out for the best.
Some school of thought says: “to hope is to risk pain” now if rats saw a reason to hope, expect and believe the best the second time. You, Me, We have no excuse but to believe in a positive outcome relating to the events, situations and daily circumstances of our lives.
Start this second half with hope, expectations stronger than the energy you unlocked in the first half of the year regardless of the experiences past. There’s only one place to begin-within. Walk and work it in your mind, then take action in the direction of your dream, desires and goals.

POPEYE ENERGY!

Energy’s defined as vigor; “get-up-and-go” realizable without pills or stimulants something I experienced recently. I didn’t take note until I sat in-flight on my way back to Nigeria and thought through the energy sapping schedule in South Africa including an Interview which will air on Good Morning Africa 14th June.

Spinach! Some energy activating meal “Popeye used to chug-gulp down.” Now walk back mentally to the exciting cartoon where Popeye needed to boost his muscle power and get out of trouble. Eating up a bowl of fresh-green spinach has so much to offer you beyond delivering great energy you might need during your day like Popeye.

It also reduces the amount of oxygen needed to power muscles by as much as 5% during exercise that the effect’s so powerful after 3days it’s already activated as documented in a recent research published in the medical journal Cell Metabolism early this year, winning worldwide attention from science and health writers.

Dr.Eddie Weitzberg, the lead author of the study said; “It’s like a fuel additive for your muscles. It makes them run more smoothly and efficiently,” his research group from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet turned up is that the ingredients which make spinach work so well are the nitrates, found in abundance in the vegetable. Nitrates make the mitochondria-the “engine room” of cells in the body-more efficient.

Weitzberg is quoted further as saying that it is common cause that diets rich in fruits and vegetable can help prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, “but the active nutrients haven’t been clear.

During the study, Weitzberg fed the research candidates pure nitrate supplements-the equivalent to the amount in a plate of spinach-everyday for three days. At the beginning and end of the experiment, they were made to pedal vigorously on an exercise bike, while their oxygen intake was measured, via a tube to the mouth. The result?

The difference in energy intake was a significant 3-5%. Interestingly Weitzberg and his colleague Professor Jon Lundberg, have actually demonstrated previously that dietary nitrate increases levels of nitric oxide in the body, produced with the help of friendly bacteria found in our mouths.

Make energy a lifestyle the popeye way with spinach

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SERVICE ALTITUDE AIRLINE

Service is defined in the English dictionary as an act of helpful activity; aid or the providing of accommodation and activities required by the public.
Consumer Protection Council (CPC) in Nigeria recently came up with a submission in the aviation sector slamming their sleigh hammer on Arik Air as worst airline in terms of customer service, as every customer patronizing them had something negative to say about the service it renders.
The Director General, CPC, Mrs. Ify Umenyi who disclosed it during a round table dialogue with airline operators in Abuja, Nigeria said: “Enough is enough; Airlines should plan… their flights in such a way consumers will not be too inconvenienced. She said the attitude of the aforementioned airline’s ground staff leaves a lot to be desired; rude, uncooperative and unfeeling”.
Unless service is upward bound as all planes, regardless of the name, country of origin or destination it’s bound to fail-lose it customers. The way all airlines are bound to have a nose high attitude prior to flying into the skies, so “Service delivery daily should be altitude driven, not worse”.
Every continent has at least one airline that truly stands out of the pack probably because of their staying power and service delivery.
Yearly over a decade now I have flown back and forth-from my beloved country Nigeria out to other countries. Some months ago as I planned, preparing to take on Africa’s Highest Point-The fourth highest mountain in the world; Kilimanjaro, one mountain which taught me many life lessons including preparation.
‘No other airline around the African continent has stayed consistent the way this “Service Altitude Airline “has stayed on course consistently. You possibly already know I am speaking of South African Airways (SAA) as am most delighted to have been celebrated from Kilimanjaro.
Only recently as I checked in as an economy class passenger, prior to boarding at MMA, Lagos an SAA team member said to me; Mr. Awesome we would like to upgrade you to business class.
Customer service should always remind customers; were Kings and deserve an upgrade sometimes at no extra cost to us.

FOOD IS FUEL EVERY TIME

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. You and I know what we consume is usually of plant or animal origin and does contain essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. Some years ago when I had the privilege to share the platform with my mentor, role model-Dr. Myles Munroe after a beautiful leadership conference with over 5,000 people and professionals we went to have lunch.
He looked at me during the time together that terrific thursday two years ago and said; “food is fuel.” First time I will ever hear those true words. Some weeks ago as I touched down Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania in East Africa all in a bid to take on Africa’s highest peak putting my body under real pressure everyday for approximately six hours, sure reminded me food indeed is fuel.
You know water is life, which our body needs daily. Do you know what you invest in you reflects sooner or later in the day, with water drank daily on Kilimanjaro 4-6litres every day, even when I have had little or no food, drinking water releases some life-locking within me a will to go further regardless of how I felt.
Truth is strength I had day expedition up Kilimanjaro began was as a result of fibre based breakfast that included ;“corn flakes” eggs, passion juice (from Tanzanian grown passion fruits)blended daily at Mount Kilimanjaro mountain resort.
The nutritionist that took care of me, mountain guide and porters on the mountain made fresh soup every day, every meal started with some soup including pumpkin soup that had: 645kj of energy, 7.0g protein, 4.5g of fat, 19.7g carbohydrates, 12.4g sugars,1.8g dietary fibre, 30.3ug fiolate, 351 mg sodium, 518mg potassium and 103mg phosphorus locked inside every serving.
So much as I lost appetite as we ascended higher up Kilimanjaro one thing I didn’t toy with was soup servings since I knew and also understand the impact what taking a meal can do for me, you, your body and health no matter what this week.

ATTITUDE ON ALTITUDE

Attitude is defined as one’s mindset, approach while Altitude is said to be height above sea level. Let’s start by bringing those two words together.
One’s mindset or approach, height above sea level; leading to one experience I had aboard my Kilimanjaro bound flight last week. We were approaching Arusha a nearby town of Tanzania as the Pilot announced, “Anyone interested may want to take a look at Mount Kilimanjaro on the left side of our plane”. Everyone hurried towards the wing where I was seated.
David who was sitting behind me, quickly said hello to Sarafina who was seated beside me both Kenyans (sadly the weather wasn’t good enough to catch a view of Africa’s highest free standing mountain) making passengers pass comments.
Since we can’t catch a view of Kilimanjaro maybe Mount Kenya won’t be a bad idea said someone. I laughed as Sarafina announced she had tried to climb Kilimanjaro once and didn’t make it to the top. I asked her why she hasn’t tried again and she said it’s not her type of thing.
I told her that I was going to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro then she said take photos, shortly David said; if you’re going to climb it, then I can do it too. I told him there’s need he prepared himself for it.
He said if you are about to do Kilimanjaro Joshua am sure I can do it also. As I laid in the confines of my Karanga Camp at 3930 metres tent, the attitude David had in-flight truly is one attitude many have on altitude above Africa’s highest free standing mountain, not considering challenge the expedition requires.
Since the expedition up Kilimanjaro started a couple of days ago for me from umbwe gate with my chief guide Ien and a nutritionist-chef, waiter and five porters passed through the tropical rain forest, grassy moorland to barrancho camp and write this piece up the mountain, we all must have the right attitude to successfully attain the altitude we want in life-best by patiently preparing for the peak.

PATIENCE PAYS!

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance, anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one's character can take before negativity.
Yes it’s not news several brands said no to sponsor “Summit up Kilimanjaro” that will lead to the hoisting of Nigeria’s national flag for the very first time atop the roof of Africa.
As specialists say successful summits to the top of Kilimanjaro only comes through patience otherwise known in Swahili an eastern African language as “pole, pole” slowly, slowly words which mountain guides say over again on the way up.
A couple of friends showed support towards the expedition some part of the expedition experience I will live to treasure as long as I live to tell the story. Some days ago a drama unfolded in my very eyes. A young man possibly not up to 25years old showed up with a cheque leaf; one out of five that had gone missing from a small business owner’s cheque book, as if that wasn’t enough the signature of the owner was forged.
We eventually found out the identity card the young man presented was fake as it carried the name of a major supplier of the small business owner whose cheque leaves were missing. The bank however contacted their customer who made it known the signature wasn’t his and he was saddened his account clerk could do such a thing, who he employed because of the father.
I left the bank thinking “Patience Pays,” as much as I desire to have every budget, bill(s) met towards the expedition amongst others seeking for my attention “I WILL NEVER ROB A BANK” or defraud someone’s business-signing a cheque that’s not mine because of money. Moral of the story is “patience pays.” Someone possibly will be reading this as I fly off to commence expedition Up Kilimanjaro, one mountain many still see as impossible. Patiently work it out, there’s no mountain someone hasn’t summit before.