One me

doing, Living and being me

in this journey.

By
Amogelang Fortune Modibe
Copyright

Title: One Me

Author book: Amogelang Fortune Modibe

© 2018, Amogelang Fortune Modibe

Self-publishing

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected

under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any
unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of
this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage and retrieval system without express
written permission from the author / publisher

1
 Dedications

This book is dedicated to my dearest Friend Boitumelo

Pleasure Molefe who always believed that I can do
better today than I did yesterday, and to every person,
young and old, employed and unemployed, educated
and uneducated, that dreams of becoming financially
independent and building a happy, successful, and
rewarding life, but is too intimidated to take that first
step.

To the reader…

I hope that you have at least half as much fun in the

reading of this book as I’ve had in the writing.

Please note this is a mini Book and it is as short as it

can be.

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 Contents

❖ Preface.

❖ Doing, Living and being me.

❖ Develop Self discipline

Why self-discipline?
And How

❖ Investing in excellence
What is excellence
Is it important,
How to start…

❖ Choosing the best

❖ Conclusion

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 Preface

I would like to thank you for taking your time, invest it to

reading this book. I am inspired by you and all other
factors that play a role in pushing me to keep writing. It is
indeed true that it is all easier than done and for this I
would like to appreciate my family, friends, colleagues
and strangers for playing their roles in my life which
added valuable experience that I am utilizing to bring forth
the best in me and others through my writings.

What follows will mean different things to different people.

For some, it will be a lovely, other-worldly adventure, but
for others it will be a powerful re-awakening, a life-
changing experience. Life is lived from within and one can
never be hurt by what appears to be happening outside.
You can change circumstances, if you so desire — for
your only purpose in life is to make choices. Once the
choice is made, the entire universe moves to bring into
fruition that which you chose.

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 Doing, Living and being me

...But BE you transformed by the renewing of your mind. The

first step needed for any successful outcome is not to DO, but
to BE. To be you, the real you because it is in the "BEING", that
leads up to an effective, efficient and successfully "DOING". The
doing which is the manifestation of the LIVING. Now BEING
therefore is the molder of destiny. Always be yourself, express
yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a
successful personality and duplicate it

Today you have the greatest opportunity that anyone could ever
have. Today, no matter what has happened before, you can go,
you can do, you can live, and you can be. Possibilities of all
descriptions abound, and here you are, right in the middle of
them. Countless treasures and experiences have situated
themselves well within your reach, and all that’s required to
benefit from them, is to reach. You have capabilities you’ve
never even considered, that will enable you to create forms of
value you’ve never even imagined. Always be yourself, express

5
yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a
successful personality and duplicate it.

This is a great time to be you, precisely where you are, knowing

exactly what you know, with the values and dreams, skills,
experiences, connections and passions you have. In you, life
has uniquely expressed itself. In your situation, there are
possibilities that have never existed anywhere for anyone. Have
you ever visited an art gallery, and feasted your senses on the
creativity that’s around you? Well, right now, at this very
moment, you are surrounded not merely by an art gallery, but by
a life gallery of amazing proportions. More than that, it is a
collection of possibilities. And not only can you admire those
possibilities, you can live them. In fact, that’s what they’re for.
The great possibilities of this moment are not here for the
purpose of detached viewing. They exist so that you can jump
into them and bring them to life.

Get it done. Now. Not when you’re more comfortable. Not when
you’re a little less comfortable. Not when conditions are perfect.

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Not when conditions are lousy. Now. You know all the excuses
and you know they’re worthless. Whatever must be done, do it
now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not when somebody
reminds you. Now. This is the moment for achievement. If you
don’t do it now, it will never get done. It’s good to plan. It’s
essential to act. It’s good to make sure you have everything in
order. Yet it’s essential to act. Now. You have great potential.
You’ve seen glimpses of it. You know there is much, much more
you can achieve. Now is when. This is where. There are things
in this life that are crucially important to you. There are people
you love. There are values you care about. You have a vision
for how life can be when it is at its best. The only way to fully
honour all those things is with your committed, persistent,
effective action. Get it done.

Decide where you want to go. Don’t hold back your ambition.
Decide where you really, truly want to go. Then take the first
step. After that, take the second step, and the third and the
fourth. Keep going. Act now and make the commitment to
continue as long as necessary. You owe it to yourself. You owe
it to your best possibilities. You owe it to the people who are

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important to you. You owe it to life. You can make things
happen. You’ve done it all your life. You can make things
happen, so do it. Make things happen that make a positive
difference. Make things happen that support what you care
about. Make things happen that encourage the people you love.
Make things happen that empower you to live the life of your
dreams.

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!

Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your

own

powers you cannot be successful or happy.

Norman Vincent Peale

The results you achieve are not based on what you plan to do
or what you say you’ll do. Your results come from what you
actually do. The rationalizations and excuses you make will not
add any value or quality to your life. Your actions are what truly
make a difference. To get where you wish to go requires more

8
than just talking about it. To get where you wish to go requires
focused, sustained effort. And the great thing is, you’re perfectly
capable of making whatever effort is necessary. You must
simply choose to actually do it. No one can reach real fulfilment
on your behalf. The life you experience is the life you create for
yourself. There are so many possibilities to choose from, and so
many opportunities to make life great through the actions you
take. Now is the moment to actually do it.

Success does not come to those who merely have great ideas.
Success comes to those who have great ideas and who follow
through on them. Your carefully crafted plans bring value only
when you put them into action. The best of intentions are useful
only when you follow through on them. During the course of the
day, many thoughts cross your mind. Yet just as easily and
quickly as those thoughts come, they recede, so it’s crucial to
begin acting on the best ones right away. Before a valuable and
meaningful intention gets pushed out of your mind by another
thought, do something about it. Set the process irrevocably in
motion and begin to bring that intention to life. When you think
of doing something, there’s a reason why you have that thought.

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Listen to what the thought is suggesting and acting immediately.
Don’t let the idea or the intention or the vision slip away. Instead,
get up and get going. If you happen to be feeling lousy, acting
will make you feel much better. If you already feel good, focused
action will leave you feeling great.

Who have you always been? Who will you always be? Think of
what means more to you than anything else. Think, for a
moment, of why. In your most authentic purpose you will find
your most persistent strength. At the centre of your being is the
purpose that will pull you triumphantly through anything. If you
want to be strong, be you. Be the real you that no circumstance,
no twist of fate can diminish. If you want to be magnificent, be
you. The world won’t always agree with you, yet life will always
reward your authenticity. Give yourself a moment to feel how
truly good it feels to be you. Share your true self with all of life
and spread the joy far and wide.

There is much you have already done, and there is much more
that remains to be done. Take a little break and remember how

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truly fortunate you are. Yes, your task is difficult and
complicated, frustrating at times and tedious at other times. By
doing it, however, you are making a difference, and that’s a big
part of what life is all about. Give yourself a rest every so often,
but don’t give yourself an excuse to give up. Remember why you
started in the first place and recommit yourself to getting it done.
Instead of fighting and striving and struggling to get it done, take
a moment to take a deep breath and to smile a genuine smile.

Take control of your own attitude and choose to enjoy the work
you’re doing. Rather than resenting what you must do, celebrate
what you have the opportunity to achieve. Reward yourself for
your discipline and persistence by feeling truly good about what
you’re able to get accomplished.

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 Develop Self discipline

Self-discipline makes the difference between a life of

achievement, and a life of aimless mediocrity. It is perhaps the
most vital characteristic of any successful, effective person.
Without self-discipline, life is frustrating, with sporadic and
elusive results. Self-discipline brings out the enormous potential
that exists in every person. With every effort, you are creating
new value. With every moment, you are moving closer to the
goal, and rewarding yourself along the way.

The dictionary defines discipline as an “orderly or prescribed

conduct or pattern of behaviour,” as “control gained by enforcing
obedience or order” and as “self-control.” Discipline can come
from the outside or from the inside. The most useful kind of
discipline is self-discipline, from the inside. If you wait until
discipline is forced on you, your options are limited. When it
comes from the inside, discipline gives you control over your
own life, and provides an extremely effective means for

12
accomplishment of almost any worthwhile goal. Self-discipline is
doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. It is
making a consistent effort for as long as it takes to accomplish
your goal. It happens when an awareness of the need for action
is immediately followed by the action itself. This behaviour
results in an upward spiral of activity that leads to goal
achievement.

It is great to have goals. For them to be meaningful, you must

make the commitment to pursue them, to take the actions
necessary to achieve them. To accomplish anything, steady
effort is needed. Self-discipline is what delivers that effort, day
after day, month after month, year after year until the goal is
reached. Self-discipline is the price you pay for achievement.
Constant self-discipline is not easy. Everything comes at a price,
and success is no exception.

You basically have two choices in your life. You can choose the
“easy” life, a life free from effort, that achieves very little, or you
can choose to pay the price for success, and achieve it, by

13
imposing discipline on yourself. In your quest to improve
yourself and your life, knowledge is not enough, skills are not
enough, good intentions are not enough, the right connections
are not enough, great ideas are not enough. These are all very
useful and important, yet without self-discipline you fall short of
your goals. It is through self-discipline that you can apply all of
the resources available to you. The setting of life goals, and the
pursuit of those goals, requires constant, consistent self-
discipline.

Self-discipline allows you to take control and keep control of life

your own life. It brings the ability to fashion yourself and your
lifestyle in any way you choose. Self-discipline is the major key
to the “good life” because it puts you in complete control. You
have no choice -- someone or something will control your life.
You are either serving your own dreams or serving the dreams
of someone else. With self-discipline, your life is controlled by
you. You can follow your own dreams, live life on your own
terms. The effort required for self-discipline is paid off many
times over in the things it brings into your life -- things of your
own choosing, things that are important and meaningful to you.

14
To make your life fulfilling, you must take control of it. The quality
of your life depends on your thoughts, your actions, your focus
and direction. You are responsible for controlling all the various
aspects of your life, whether you choose to exercise that control
or not. When you take control, things will more often work out
the way you want them to. Taking control does not have to mean
being forceful or imposing yourself on others. It means living
your own way, asserting and affirming the unique value of your
own life, making your own special mark on the world. Taking
control need not be selfish or greedy. You have something to
offer. You can make a difference in a way that no one else can.
When you are firmly in control of your own life, then you’re in the
very best possible position to fully utilize your talents and fulfil
your own unique possibilities.

“Discipline is doing something that needs to

be done even when you don’t

want to or feel like it”

Amogelang Modibe

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Purpose and intention happens when you to take control, you
must be strongly committed to doing so. You must want to do it.
And you must have a solid, compelling reason. This comes from
knowing yourself and understanding your own goals, desires
and purpose in life. What are you trying to do? What do you want
to get out of your life? What contribution do you wish to make?
What gives you fulfilment? The whole point of being in control of
your life is so that you can live it in precisely the way you want
to live. So, self-knowledge and self-examination are essential to
self-control. At some level, you know what you want from life. At
some level, you know what brings you true fulfilment. At some
level, you’re aware of your own unique purpose.

To bring that purpose into conscious realization, start by

considering some of the things you value. Don’t be critical, just
think of the first things that come to mind. Say you value money.
That’s a fairly common answer. OK, now ask yourself this. Why
do you value money? What do you want it for? What will the
money bring you? Let’s say your answer is “a new car.” Then
ask yourself what the new car will bring you. The answer could
be, depending on the car, “prestige” or “dependable

16
transportation.” So, ask yourself what that would bring you.
Eventually, if you follow this line of reasoning seriously and
thoughtfully, you will arrive at your very basic values and your
purpose in life. All your desires stem from your deep-down,
fundamental values and purpose. And the way to discover and
understand them is simply to work backwards until they are
revealed.

The better you understand yourself, the more focused and

intentional you will be. An understanding of yourself, your
purpose, your desires and your goals will enable you to firmly
take control in all the different areas of your life. Take control of
your time, controlling the way you spend your time is essential
to controlling your life. You can choose to make the most of
every single minute, or you can choose to waste a lot of time. It
is your choice. Everyone has the same number of hours in each
day. Everyone has the same. This is just how self-discipline can
be attained. If you don’t believe that you are responsible for your
own life, then you are under the control of circumstances. You
are just an object in someone else’s world. That is not the way
to success.

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When you are in control of your life, you succeed at getting
where you want to go. And being in control means taking
responsibility. Whatever your circumstances are at this point in
your life, you created them. Now this may sound cruel and cold,
to say that you are to blame for all your troubles. However, it is
the best first step toward improving your life. Sure, you can
spend a lot of time trying to assign blame to others. What would
that get you? Nothing!

You take control when you rise above the petty name-calling and
blame-assigning. You take control when you take responsibility
for where you are and where you are going.

What do you care about? What things get your attention? What
things interest you? What are your priorities? What is your
reality?

When you think of reality, you probably think of something that

is absolute and unchangeable. After all, reality is what it is, and

18
there’s nothing you can do about it. Or is there? In fact, reality
for you is whatever you experience it to be. Without that
experience, reality as you know it would simply not exist. The
fact that you are experiencing reality is what causes that reality
to be real for you. And in that fact is the opportunity for you to
create whatever reality you wish to create.

Why is that? Because you have control over the way you
experience life. There may be many things over which you have
little or no control. Yet you have complete and total control over
the way you interpret and interact with the reality of your life.

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 Invest yourself in excellence

What can you do better today than you did yesterday? Whatever
you focus on improving, will improve. When you focus on
building something, it will increase. What can you do, what can
you learn, who can you talk to, what can you create, what
problem can you solve, what new perspective can you gain
today? Every moment is an opportunity to move forward.

If you are not constantly growing, you’re losing ground.

Momentum only has two directions -- forward or backward.
Standing still is not an option. Learn, grow and create. You’re
getting better and better every day. Your power and
effectiveness are growing as you make the commitment to use
each day to the fullest. You have the very best of everything,
within yourself. Give it a chance to get out and grow. Make your
light shine brightly. Invest yourself in excellence. A life fully lived
is a life full of giving, of creative effort, of making a difference.
You are just as good, just as worthy, just as valuable as anyone.

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No one can intimidate you, no matter what kind of car they drive,
or what their business card says, or how big their house is, or
how big their factory is. No one is better than you.

You are the best there is. Inside you is the potential to do, or be,
or have anything you desire. No one has more than that. Some
may have progressed farther down the path at this moment, but
that doesn’t make them any better than you. There is no need
for you ever to be envious or to feel unworthy. Your life is filled
with possibility. Where you are right now is insignificant, when
compared to where you’re going. Point yourself in the direction
of your dreams, and every step along the way is golden. No
matter what anyone says, or does, no matter what your situation
-- personal, financial, social or otherwise -- you can choose to
live your life your own way. And there is no greater success than
that. Walk and talk excellence everywhere you are, with
boldness.

Successful people push themselves. Everyone else waits to be

pushed. When someone else does the pushing, you don’t get

21
where you want to go. The way to determine your own destiny
is to expect the best of yourself, and then expect a little more.
You know what you’re capable of, and only you can make it
happen. Only you can fully realize your potential. No one can do
it for you. Inside of you are unlimited possibilities that will take
you wherever you want to go. The desires you have, the things
you want for your life, come to you only because you know, at
some level, that they are possible. You have what it takes, so
use it. When you push yourself toward your dreams, nothing can
push you away.

When bad things happen, just when things are the worst, is
when you can make the most difference. When everything is
going against you, is the best time to take positive action that
will get things going for you. The best cure for discouragement
is action. Don’t just sit there feeling sorry for yourself, do
something! You got into this situation. You can get yourself out
and move forward to a life of success and achievement. It all
starts when you begin to take control of your own destiny.
Realize that your actions determine your future. Haven’t you had
enough already? Start working your way out, right now. Some

22
of life’s greatest accomplishments come when positive action is
taken in the midst of a discouraging situation. What can you do
today, right now, that will move you forward? Set your sights on
the future and do it now.

You become what you think about the most. If you constantly
think about your problems, trying to figure out who to blame for
them, then that is what you’ll get more of -- problems. When you
focus on your goals, and constantly think about where you want
to go and how you are going to get there, then you will begin to
move in that direction, almost as if by magic. If you are not
continually updating your knowledge you will be left behind. You
must always be looking for a better way to do something, for the
knowledge that will make you more effective. Because you can
be sure that your competition is doing just that.

Achievement does not come from wishful thinking. It comes from

action. Before you can take action, you need to know what that
action is. Look at where you want to be and lay out the path to

23
get there. Then, when you get started every morning, you’ll know
exactly where you’re going.

If you could choose what kind of world to live in, what kind of
world would you choose? If you could determine how the
upcoming day will be, with what kinds of things would you fill it?
If you had the power to decide what types of opportunities would
come your way, what opportunities would you select? If you
knew that your experiences would equal your expectations,
what would your expectations be?

In fact, you do have the power to choose the way that much of
your world will be. You do have the ability to decide what kinds
of events, experiences, opportunities and circumstances come
your way. For the world you experience is the world with which
your dreams, your thoughts, your expectations and your actions
most closely resonate. The world you see and live in, is the world
you most sincerely expect to see.

24
The universe is filled with endless possibilities, and those
possibilities keep growing more numerous with each minute.
The way you live determines which of those possibilities come
into contact with your life. With your thoughts, with your actions,
with your values, dreams and expectations, you do indeed
choose what kind of world you live in. The way you are, is closely
mirrored in the world you see. The way you frame your life has
a major impact on the way your life unfolds. The way you see
yourself and your place in the world determines who you truly
are. The unstated assumptions upon which you rely are
constantly exerting their influence. Your deepest, most sincere
feelings about life have a way of collaring every circumstance.

The events in your world do not just happen without reason or

source. They are driven by your most fundamental expectations
of how you will find life to be. In each small moment and in every
large undertaking, your frame of life sets the stage. The way you
see the world determines the kind of world you see.

25
You don’t have to look very far to find a reason to feel sorry for
yourself. But why would you want to waste even a few moments
of your precious life on self-pity? It’s easy to come up with
perfectly reasonable excuses for lowering your expectations and
hiding away from life. But then all you’re left with are worthless
excuses. There are certain circumstances under which some
people see themselves as victims. Yet under those exact same
circumstances other people find and make the most of truly
grand opportunities.

When you expect life to be cruel and harsh, it will live up to your
expectations. When, on the other hand, you consider yourself to
be extremely fortunate, you will become even more so. There is
great value in every moment. Positive possibilities are
generated by every turn and twist of fate. No matter what may
happen or fail to happen, life is what you choose to make it.

Think of the best possible thing that you could accomplish today,
and then ask yourself this. What would be even better? Instead
of lowering your expectations to be more in line with reality, raise

26
those expectations and then improve your reality so it matches
them. That’s a much better choice and yes, you can most
certainly do it.

Realize that the best is yet to come. Then get busy and make it
happen. What has happened before may be interesting and
useful to know about. Yet all of that is in the past, and right now
the world is filled with brand new possibilities. The quality of your
life right now depends on how you live it right now.

On any given day, anything can happen. Sometimes you’ll just

totally screw up and get it wrong. Everybody makes mistakes—
honest mistakes—and that’s just part of the learning process.
You usually learn much more from the mistakes than you do
from the successes precisely because those mistakes can lead
to such painful and memorable results. You don’t consciously
intend to make mistakes, but you’re not all-seeing and all-
knowing, so you’re going to end up making some mistakes and
they will absolutely teach you some very powerful lessons.

27
 Choosing the best

It’s easy enough to see that life is a series of choices, and that
living successfully is largely a result of making the choices that
will take you where you intend to go. Yet you can often
become so overwhelmed with the consequences of your
choices that you lose sight of the very process that brought
about those consequences. As a result, you can fail to
appreciate the very real power that you always have, no matter
what the situation may be, to control and direct your life by the
choices you make. Your choices alone.

It can often seem that life is dictated by events over which you
have no control and therefore that you have no choice in the
matter. But even when something is beyond your control, still
you always have the choice of how you respond to it, and that
can make all the difference in the world. To see life in terms of
choices is to become empowered in a very real way. The

28
alternative is to see yourself as a victim of circumstance,
dependent on blind luck or on the pity of others, burdened by
your needs and the unfairness of your situation, with no
choices available to you. But the reality is that you always have
a choice, and those who make good and positive and valuable
things happen are those who understand the value of making
choices. Those who achieve are those who frame their world in
terms of choices.

Choices are powerful and valuable, yet they do have a price,

and the price is responsibility. That’s one reason people are so
often reluctant to acknowledge that they have a choice --
because they know that by accepting that choice they are also
accepting responsibility. Sometimes it seems easier just to
ignore the choices, avoid the responsibility, and let yourself be
tossed around by the circumstances of the moment. But
choosing not to make a choice is itself a choice, and usually
one which you will eventually regret. You cannot really run
away from responsibility, as daunting as it may be. You can
only choose to ignore it, and by so doing you practically
guarantee that your choice will work against you.

29
Look around you, and you will see quite clearly the life you
have chosen. That statement may sound cruel and unfair,
particularly if life has dealt you some difficult blows. After all, no
one, for example, chooses to be born to an abusive parent.
Usually no one chooses to be laid off from a good job. No one
chooses to contract a debilitating illness. Few people ever
willingly choose to bring any kind of difficulty on themselves.
Yet everyone experiences difficulties and challenges. The
power of choice comes in the way you respond to those
difficulties, in the way you meet those challenges. By stepping
up and making intentional choices, you can determine whether
the difficult circumstances bring you down or whether they give
you a reason to push positively forward.

Often, life is viewed in terms of needs rather than choices.

Unfortunately, seeing something as a need takes the focus
away from the power of choice. Seeing something as a need
often leads to resentment and a feeling of being trapped, while
seeing it as a choice leads to a sense of empowerment and
control. The fact is, most of the things you see as needs can
be transformed into choices by a change in thinking.

30
All too often, much of the focus of day-to-day life is on striving
for more in order to satisfy what you perceive as your needs. It
can be draining, it can be stressful, and it can be frustrating to
always keep your efforts directed toward getting more and
more, always driven by those needs which never go away.
Usually when you get more, it’s never enough. You find that
you need even more. Is there any way out of this vicious
cycle? You have to choose the best side of it.

Yes -- the way to get more from life is not by needing more.
The way to get more from life is by needing less and choosing
more. Certainly, there are some basic, fundamental needs
which cannot be denied or ignored. To stay alive, you must
have air to breathe, water to drink, and nutritious food to eat.
You need clothing and shelter to protect you from the
elements. Beyond those basic requirements, however, things
become much more flexible. Beyond those basic needs,
almost all of your needs become more a matter of choice.
Indeed, the majority of your more complex and burdensome
needs are very likely things which are imposed upon you by

31
your own choices or by the choices you’ve allowed others to
make for you. Make sure you do you, live and be yourself.

Actually, most of what you perceive as needs are not really

needs at all. Rather, they are strong indications of your desires
and your driving purposes. When you start to see them as
such, and relate to them as such, it can make a tremendous
positive difference. When you see them as choices you are
able to make, then they no longer have the power to burden
you.

Interestingly, the more you see yourself as needing something,

the less your likelihood of having it. When you can let go of the
need, you also let go of the negative sense of lack and
limitation associated with it. When you no longer focus on the
need for it, you can begin to focus on creating the reality of it.
When you need it less, you begin, in a very real sense, to have
it more. You go from being desperate about it to being
confident about it. Consider, for example, the need for approval
from others. Think of how much time, money, thought and

32
energy you put into objects and activities which are solely for
the purpose of impressing other people.

As nice as things may be right now and right here, you cannot
stay here for long. The world changes. Life changes. And your
life will change whether you want it to or not, whether you
welcome those changes, or fight those changes, participate in
those changes, or not. What you can be sure of, is that you
can’t be sure of very much. What you can be sure of, is that
the world you wake up in tomorrow will be different than the
world you woke up in today. It is simply the nature of life.

Life is, after all, alive, and the very definition of being alive is
being dynamic, moving and changing. At its core, the universe
is in constant motion. From the most distant galaxies to the
smallest subatomic particles, everything is in motion. Even
massive mountains change from day to day, being pushed
toward the sky by geological forces deep within the ground and
being slowly washed into the sea by the eroding forces of wind
and water.

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Change is a part of everything. The dynamic nature of life, and
of the universe itself, enabled you to be born and presents you
with endless possibilities. Change is not something to be
feared or cursed, stopped or resisted. By the very act of living
you are accepting and benefitting from change on many levels.
Yet change is so powerful and pervasive, it can be intimidating.
Change can feel overwhelming and downright frightening.
There is no need to be frightened, though. Because you can
choose to embrace change, to take hold of the best
possibilities, and to move forward as time relentlessly
progresses.

It may seem that things are changing more quickly these days,
for this generation. Most likely, though, every generation has
felt that way. While it’s true that we live in a complicated world,
in many ways life is much more stable for us than it was for our
ancestors. Most of us are fortunate enough to sleep in the
same dwelling night after night, month after month. Thousands
of years ago, people often had to move around to follow the
seasons and the food supply. There was always the danger of
being attacked by a wild animal or falling victim to a severe

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storm. Today, while danger is still present in our lives, we have
developed effective systems and strategies to insulate us from
many of the day-to-day dangers. So although the changes in
our complicated lives are now more numerous, most of them
are less traumatic.

Instead of feeling victimized by the need to change, you can

choose to be empowered by the possibilities that are always
being created. The world is constantly in motion, and you can
harness that motion in your own life to move forward. There is
no guarantee about what will happen tomorrow. And yet,
guarantee or not, tomorrow will come. Your best choice is not
to try in vain to hold on to today. By all means enjoy every
moment of this day you’re in. And once it is over, welcome
tomorrow with its new possibilities.

Walking through the woods on a foggy morning, you cannot

see very far ahead. When you walk a little farther, you can see
a little more of what’s ahead. When you go around the next
bend in the trail, more territory will open up to you. Just

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because you cannot see all the way to the end of the trail, is no
reason to stop. In fact, it is a reason to keep going, to keep
uncovering more of the path to your destination.

It’s up to you. Others can teach you, inspire you, push you
forward, help you out, motivate you, encourage you, make
introductions, connect you with resources. Yet in the end, you
must do the work to create a fulfilling life. So many people
these days seem to be wishing, hoping, demanding that other
people solve their problems. But it’s an expectation that’s just
not going to get them anywhere worthwhile. If you’re ever
tempted to adopt that as your expectation, let it go. Let it go
and replace it with the power of responsibility.

Sure, life is unfair. Sure, it’s difficult to take responsibility for

circumstances that are not your fault, not of your own making.
But as unfair and difficult as it may be, responsibility is the best
course. Because responsibility gives you power over your own
life. Responsibility enables you to create value out of any
situation.

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 Cap off
The most effective way to compete is to ignore the competition.
The greatest advantage comes to those who do not seek
advantage. When you’re always focused on what the other guy
is doing, it takes you away from the best of what you can be
doing. When you’re fighting to gain an advantage, you’re
ignoring the ultimate advantage that you already possess, which
is your own unique perspective.

Do you realize how very much you are worth? You have
thoughts, ideas, perceptions, skills, interests, relationships and
experiences that combine in a way not duplicated anywhere
else. Diamond gemstones are extremely valuable precisely
because there are so few of them. You, on the other hand, are
immensely more valuable because there is only one of you in
the whole universe. When compared to you, there more than
enough high-grade diamonds available to trigger a clearance
sale. So, does it make sense for you to always be comparing
yourself to others, judging your life by standards that are
completely outside of you?

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Consider an original painting by a talented artist. That original
will sell for much, much more than even the best reproduction.
Why? Because it’s the one and only original of that image. Do
you really want to create value? Then don’t make a copy of what
someone else has done. Make an original. Yes, you can. How?
By refusing to discount your ideas. By letting your true desires
come to the surface. Challenge every one of them, by all means.
But don’t disrespect them. They come from a unique and original
perspective. They come from the essence of the one and only
you. No, it’s not being narcissistic to value and explore and
express your own perspective. Narcissistic is going around
thinking you’re better than everybody else. And if there’s one
thing even more pathetic than thinking you’re worse than
everyone else, it’s thinking you’re better than everyone.

The point here is, comparisons in whatever direction are futile

and unproductive. Forget about comparing and start fulfilling
those possibilities that are your precious treasure. Don’t obsess
over mere diamonds and other trinkets when you have
something that’s incomparably more precious. You have life,
from a viewpoint that’s never before been experienced, that

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grows more rich and interesting every day. Don’t settle for
merely gaining advantage over others. For when you have that,
you really have nothing that will bring you true fulfilment. Instead,
take it to a vastly higher level. Be you. Be that one and only,
original expression of life and existence and thought and
awareness who loves it all and lives it fully!

Remember, there can only be one you.

I hope you enjoyed this book, this calls for practice now. Till we
meet again, May the Good God bless you abundantly.

With love…

Amogelang Fortune Modibe.

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