FLAMING TOUCHES OF WISDOM COLLECTION

Copyright © 2014, Marketplace Strategist. All rights reserved.

Life have its display of presenting us with good or bad phase, both have a way of complementing us. For it to be bad does not imply end of discussion. Such experience was the dilemma I faced when at tick of the clock 19:30 GMT on Monday 16^th December, 2013 I lost a rare gem, mentor, an icon of chief servant leader who happened to be my dad and father “ISRAEL OLUFEMI KOLAWOLE ABIONA (JP). A higher percentage of what I now know and practice – creativity, writing, speaking ability, excellence, leadership skills and social entrepreneurship was learnt and caught from him. He was such an epitome of leadership par excellence and creativity. Until his demise, he was a great Author/Poet, Educator, Professional Artist and Content creator, Entrepreneur and Apostle of the Gospel.

Celebrating his life and times as embodiment of service to humanity and integrity in memorial remembrance of 365days of his departure into the world beyond, here are some of his soul enriching piece from his collection of spoken and published word.
 NOTE, I’ve just posted 7 out of hundreds of his work (for more, you can contact me and send to you FREE). You can follow the hash tag #IOKAbionaMemorial on facebook and twitter for more soul watering nuggets. Enjoy the piece:

 #1        BE YOURSELF
We needn’t be a weather cock, when you should be a manger in the hole.

For you are what God made you.
You needn’t feign ideas or affections,
Neither be cynical about love.
For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
Is your purpose of love.

Be yourself and no one else

‘cause you’re a child of the universe,
No less than the trees and the stars.
You have a right to be here,
And not fail to fulfill God’s purpose of creation on you.

Remember you are not of yourselves,
And you are made for a purpose.
If his purpose is to be fulfilled on you,
You need play the tune in your trumpet and no one else.

 #2        TIME WILL TELL

The roving heart of man sure fails him
But TIME ever is a good recorder of events.
It re-echoes dates and ordinances,
And revive the Master’s purposed plan.
Where man erred and failed,
TIME updates the memory as purposed.

 #3        GUIDES TO HAPPY DAY

Begin the day with friendliness
And poise yourself along all day.
Keep in your soul friendly thought,
In your heart a friendly song,
And have in your mind a word of cheer
For all who come your way:
And they will greet you too in turn,
And wish you a HAPPY DAY,
Forgetting gloomy past.

 #4        IN NOTHING BE ANXIOUS

Today I know, tomorrow I know not.
I know not tomorrow with its shadows of uncertainties.
But I know who holds tomorrow with riches of blessing to apportion.
Am’ only trusting and hoping that he that feeds the sparrow is ever near me,
And by this His presence goes before me.
I’m always covered with his love.

 #5        HEART

Heart – the trade spot of evil and madness,
Targeted platform of warfare for Satan.
As it gathers iniquity, it makes activity weird
And with weariness, actions nerves revolt.
But when its foreskins are removed,
It becomes a sacred treasure, desired of God.

Heart – the inner person of man
Centre of life – exchange where decisions are made.
The stack of truth where faith is built,
Store house of divine knowledge where hope is born,
Centre of action where commitment is strengthened,
The base of divine spirit, where character is nurtured.

 #6        THOUGHTS

Make a wholesome thought each day
And let not worldly business engross your mind
To prevent your due attention
to matters of another world.
Let not trifles and commotion of this day
So absorb your thoughtful mind
That you prepare not self
To meet your Lord God in eternity.

 Lo! Deeply on thoughtful heart
Eternal things do impress
When once your heart is turned to Christ
The message of life is knotted.
Make a wholesome thought and stick to your convictions
‘cause it’s a saving work that shall never die.

For as we wander farther from God,
Our convictions are gone, never to come back.

 #7        LOVE

Oh love! Bring thou me closer to thy bossom.
Set me as a seal upon thine heart and arm.
Let me lie and find a lasting repose,
For two are better than one.

Love, a powerful element strong as death, capable of attraction at distance.

***This collection of poem was culled from “FLAMING TOUCHES OF THE SPIRIT” authored by Late Israel Olufemi Kolawole Abiona (9^th November, 1938 – 16^thDecember, 2013)

BATTLE OF THE MIND

Copyright © 2014, Marketplace Strategist. All rights reserved.

As a trained psychologist, I was made to know that being conditioning to a certain way of thinking overtime will produce a response of that particular mindset; it does not matter how you keep doing the routine. It was Ivan Pavlov, a Russian Psychologist who postulated this model of behavior known as ‘classical conditioning’ using dog as experiment. Classical conditioning is the ability of a neutral stimulus to elicit a conditioned response even at the absence of such stimulus.
Dogs normally salivate when presented with food which is a simple reflex. If a action such as bell ringing repeatedly occur at about the time the dog was to be fed, there is tendency that the dog will start to salivate whenever the sound of a bell ring is heard even if food is not presented with the bell ringing. This form of response or behavior is what encapsulates the maxim of classical conditioning.

So also we as human being have been conditioned in a particular way to response to a certain trait of behavior, this conditioning does not emerge in a day or twinkling of hour; this results from internalization of certain mindset. That behavior is stronghold implanted in the mindset, consciously or unconsciously the stronghold reflects in our thought pattern, action and lifestyle. Inherent in every human is potent seed of positive and negative thoughts, you possess the determinant power to decide the one you bring forth in the physical either it should be positive or negative. The product of our mindset in essence controls our life. You can’t outgrow the limit of your mind if you’ve already placed a limitation on it. There is no limit elsewhere except for the limitation one has placed over themselves.

Whatever pattern or trait you're accustomed to over times become the set of behavoiur that conditioned your mind shift and you follow suit in defining every of your action. A right attitude or mindset will shape your reaction and behavior. Nothing on the outside changes the direction of your life until it has produced an effect inside of you. The quality of your mind determines the direction your life takes, your life will only flow through the right course of the mind. Any inactive or stagnancy over a concerted period of time with no increase is trap that house frustration, sorrow and anger in your life. Such could become stronghold that is housed in the mind, “unrelenting disappointment leaves your heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around” says a wise king. That sudden break will be required at this point to format all stronghold implanted in the mind by learning with ability to relearn  the needful substance and unlearn what is not necessary considered as junks or baggage in life's voyage.

There are people who at one point possess boldness, confident but down the line such individuals are nowhere to be found with those attitude. Two (2) things might be responsible: the state and quality of such fellow's mind might be attacked whereby it no longer have sense of discerning to life principle and secondly, such might have sign in to a wrong relationship or partnership that has wrecked the virtue.

Here are 5 practical measures or steps which form way out from this tragedy:

1.      Envision a positive idea, pursuit of greater height or achievement first in your thought through the aid of your mind.

2.      Keep pondering, confessing or ruminating on those good thoughts envisioned.

3.      Create an enviable environment that is capable of boosting the idea into reality.

4.     Begin to take little step in putting actions to those thought by getting it done in the physical. At first, it might not be conducive with favorable conditions but things will work out itself through opportunities you get since you are determined to see the dawn of your thought fulfilled.

5.      Constantly take a mental walk and work by feeding on right information and format every wrong information inculcated in your mindset which as a result have formed your trait of behavior or action. This should lead to engaging the tool of a drastic change process.

– emmanuel  ABIONA,
+(234) 809-944-8795
BBM Pin: 7F41764F
Twitter: @emmanuel_abiona

BIRTHING YOUR VISION

Copyright © 2014, Marketplace Strategist. All rights reserved.

Everyone seems to have a dream, even an insane man do have a vision. Certainly when asked the question: do you have a dream? A ’Yes’ response well up in us but come to think of it, not every individuals have got to give what it take to birthing a vision and achieving it. Some hallucinate in the night thinking they are dreaming of a vision while some are day thinker birthing new innovation – vision and seeing to its actualization by the day. You can equally place yourself on the group you are! Let’s redefine vision?
It’s a component dimension that makes us export our ideologies, principle beyond our present reach to future time. Vision is the ability to forecast into the future and live its reality while still in the present, an expression of the mind geared towards building an empire with future in view.

In life, each step or phase we attain is always a defining moment that either make or mar us. Its ‘making us’ is the concept that defines what vision we need catch from such crucial moment in life. Without a defining moment in life, vision can’t be said to exist because time is the determinant factor of how vision is being birthed and spelt out its terms and conditions. So at dawn of each day, what you have defined as vision is redefined into fitting in what it ought to be. Each day is making it fitted better and getting the attention it need get for its attainment.

Here are measuring parameter for birthing a vision:

1.   Vision must be realistic.What you are going to birth as vision must not be a fantasy full of promises or condition that can’t be achieved, it must be real to yourself, others and humanity. For it not to be real is you giving your life a chance of luck and your life is never defined as a function of luck. Nobody is lucky in life even if your name sound ‘Goodluck’. Everyone that has got good achievements in life where at a point favoured by God who gave them opportunity, has make good use of any opportunity that stumbled their way and have always put dimension of work into their life. How do you know if it’s real? It must be something that is worth running for, that can be achieved and that can get attention of people for them to see and support. First thing in making a vision realistic is to put down your thoughts irrespective of how vague or unheard-of it may be. In essence, what you are penning down are not just mere words with grammatical fluency but strong indication of the cause you’re being sold out to. The words are your feeding point that daily fuel your intention in pursuing a goal greater than you. Anything you can see beyond your mental scope, always write it down for there might be iota of vision in it. Then it must be greater than you so you can stretch forth your horizon in thinking beyond the now ‘cause anything that has to do with the now is not a function of vision.

2.     Is your vision reliable?This is quite different from been realistic. What makes a vision reliable is ability to provide an accurate or correct picture over times. In other words, consistency is the idea. Vision must be able to maintain a pattern, paradigm shift or standard overtime with minimal variation taking place not to cause alteration to it but to help in shaping it becoming perfectly whole as the days goes by. So the response it generated yesterday should still be today’s response though there might be a slight change but all is still in sync with the actual picture of the vision. Whenever there is a deviation from the actual picture of your vision then the vision is not reliable or consistent to what it ought to be, the deviation is prone to cause change from the actual picture making its kind of mirage than been a vision.

3.      Your vision must be valid.  Validity here implies that your vision is able to achieve what it is purported to achieve. This goes on to suggest that it is result oriented thought which has an end in view though it might take time. Time is the proof of your vision.  What will make it valid is discipline and work, through discipline to rule of work you stick to the vision and get a rewarding end in terms of the result it produce at the final analysis.

4.      There is a strong force attached with the operation of vision that makes one catch glimpse of glance into the future, focus is the answer. Right language or concept to quantify the flow of vision with no sign of distraction even though there is its presence is FOCUS.  Mirage is different from being focused on a goal, focus comes with real definition of what you want or need to see though still vague while mirage is just vague and nothing to redefine from it as what one intends to see.

– emmanuel  ABIONA,

+(234) 809-944-8795
BBM Pin: 7F41764F
Twitter: @emmanuel_abiona

CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGIES

Copyright © 2014, Marketplace Strategist. All rights reserved.

Well, it’s another time in history when we celebrate the most esteemed individuals that gave business brand the platform to keep been in business. Its 2014 CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK tagged “say yes to excellence”. If there is one thing that makes me keep patronizing any firm or enterprise I think it is due to the special way that render their services and how my problem was been solved by the brand. We all want to feel important and no one will want an exception to that, I want to pay for a services and at same time be treated specially because my payment is worth it and I’m one of the reason why the business is created. Customers! The very reason why you’re still in that business, so if you desire to retain them then be ready to treat them in a unique and special way that they keep patronizing your brand.

Every potential service provider or enterprise by default must be willing to serve prospect customers by solving their problems, this I need emphasize that it must not be handled with levity if truly the brand desire to retain them on the long run. A business rendered on premise of a conducive customer care and relation services thrive well and create lasting impressions on her clients.

The difference between a small, medium or large scale enterprise is the worth of customers such business brand possess coupled with how their problem are been solved par time, and as such a customer has the power to change fortune of any enterprise. Ever heard of this slogan? Customers are key, even though they at certain point might not be right or naughty. Do you really get the idea of what I’m pointing here? Visit fast food eateries or restaurant, banks, shopping mall and you won’t be far from what I’m pointing here. Those guys never consider your physique, size of your purchasing power – money but treat you a prospect in the way they handle you right from the first contact – service men/lady at the gate.

HERE ARE 5 STRATEGIES THAT KEEPS YOUR BRAND RETAINED BY CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS:

1.      Always define the reason why you are in business or that enterprise because the more you define it the more you begin analyzing if it still meets up with the basic requirement of the enterprise mission, vision and principle.

2.      Perform routine maintenance often time to check your approach on how the firm is being run, either it correlates with the core values that your business brand need maintain overtime so as to keep staying in the business world. 

3.      Give room for feedback from your esteemed and prospective clients, and it must be used as a model to reframe those salient aspects of the business that needs amendment or correction. At this point, you must be careful so that you don’t run-off your business based on what your customer says. Let it be that the customer’s feedbacks are realistic and weigh it by checking it objectively without any iota of sentiment attached to it and quickly respond to it by correcting in a fast track measures.

4.      Profiling your customers base should be employed, this will help segment where each of them belong which is capable of providing the services that best suit them. Hence, profiling will help you know the high valued customer and somehow low valued customer. One mistake that must not be made here is giving more preferential treatment to high valued customer while ignoring others because they have potential in becoming a high valued customer come one day. Professionalism will help you maintained the ties while giving high valued customer good service and at same time others are equally receiving same though it might not be in same measure with high valued clients. PLEASE don’t let it be obvious to those not in the high valued segment your preferential treatment to them, tactically deal with the gap that may create. In the word of John D. Rockefeller: “the ability to deal with people is as purchaseable a commodity as sugar or coffee. And I will pay more for that ability, than for any other under the sun.”

5.      Use words in a professional way to psych your customer even though you might not mean it, a play of word in conveying their emotions will go a long way in retaining them. Customer care specialist or professionals call it ‘customer centric or feeler phrase’. Maintain a dialogue tone not monologue in the communication flow between your brand or enterprise and your customer. Ensure you engage them in a meaningful conversation even beyond post-sales point, by so doing you are showing empathy. Don’t overpromise and under delivered, as a matter under-promise and over-deliver your promise in real quick time.

Once again I wish You HAPPY CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK!!!

– emmanuel  ABIONA, 
+(234) 809-944-8795 
Twitter: @emmanuel_abiona 
BBM Pin: 7F41764F

CHANGED PEOPLE, CHANGED SOCIETY

Copyright © 2014, Marketplace Strategist. All rights reserved.

Whoa it’s October 1st again, a special day in the annals of our nation NIGERIA when we commemorate the event that gained us freedom from colonial administration. With utmost pleasure, I count it privilege to wish NIGERIANS a HAPPY 54^th INDEPENDENCE celebration!!  It is of note that at this phase of our nationhood many issues are at combat with us ranging from terrorism, corruption, dilapidated structures and the likes of others. However, let it be reiterated once again to us that a nation doesn’t grow without the composition of people that constitute the entity or state. It will only take the determination and collective responsibility of the individuals that forms a geographical setting such as ours nation to develop the terrain.
Leaders as well are not the set of people that grows a nation, they only facilitate the growth pattern through the responsibility entrusted them to oversee and administer all resources for and on behalf of the citizenries. 

Within our responsibility as a people lies active role we must play as a stakeholder by causing positive impacts in our sphere of influence. The combination of every individual doing the right and needful thing at the right time in the right direction has potency of projecting our nation’s growth and development. Never try to change a system, people or nation without first making the change on your individual self. Change will only come from a changed people and changed people will be the tool that cause change to the fallen system. This is how it play out: if all the sphere of influence are governed by collective action of individuals, see how our development as a nation will be fast track. 

– emmanuel  ABIONA,
+(234) 809-944-8795
BBM Pin: 7F41764F 
twitter: @emmanuel_abiona

EFFECTIVE THINKING FACULTY

Copyright © 2014, Marketplace Strategist. All rights reserved.

It's free! A wired concept endowed to our trust, you don't need to attend an institution to get certified for enrollment into the faculty. Its nothing other than THINKING FACULTY. How healthy your life will be is determined by how healthy your thinking faculty is. You don't outgrow your thought pattern, you become what you think says a wise king. Whatever innovation our world have witnessed is a function of someone's thinking, at one point in time someone had thought of it as an idea and then put it to action by working it out.

This may sound as a cliché but it's truth in reality: You're product of your thought pattern. Anything you will do in life must have first gone into thinking before hatching action on it. The product of our lives is directly proportionate to the measure of our mindset and thinking faculty.
The effectiveness of your thought pattern determines the quality of your life. How you think determines the effectiveness that your life take, we can't ignore this great principle as it states the quality of our lives. Think right and see your lives take the proper shape.

What you feed into your mind becomes the result you see in physical manifestation. Feed in success and work towards it then you produce success as a result. It's the measure of the right knowledge you have and work with that makes you free in life, and if you must be free you've got to first hatch it as a thought before it becomes real in the physical. At every point in life, you must always give your mind assignment by thinking 'cause it is free. No one will do it for you unless you take the bold step to do it all by yourself, any thinking done by anyone on your behalf is counterfeit not original. Put it to work and use its initiative wisely.

How do you possess effective thinking faculty, it is through the medium of feeding your mind with right information. The right information you feed on gives room for a healthy thinking, what goes on into the mind comes out as a product of thinking that the mind hatches or conceive in form of thought.

– emmanuel  ABIONA,

+(234) 809-944-8795
BBM Pin: 7F41764F
Twitter: @emmanuel_abiona

INHERITANCE – the father’s heart (#Day 5 Stream)

Copyright © 2014, Marketplace Strategist. All rights reserved.

Everything that has a beginning must surely have an end, and the end is always greater than the beginning. Today the series is taking on a concluding part, and it must sink to our conscious mind that the labours, work of generation past are not completed without whole intake to their dimension. Labour of our heroes past must not be in vain, without ours’ dimension to the good work done by them it can’t be said that they've accomplished success. So also our own good work in this generation won't be accounted successful if generation behind us and generationNEXT doesn't consummate its role.

What we can’t propagate after our demise is failure right in our presence which won’t fly beyond our dispensation. 
There is a mark placed upon our lives, failure to attain its standard render non-effective the great work and precious time spent in defining the standards. A word of a writer who sees work of generation past incomplete without our own contribution comes to mind:

"And all of these (the heroes), though they won divine approval by means of their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised. Because God had us in mind and has something better and greater in view for us, so that they should not come to perfection apart from us" - Hebrews 11:39-40

Where do we now stand? Our present stance of position is likened to that of a watchman always on the stand in the tower proclaiming glad tidings - this I say is our standpoint now as a generation. We are functioning as interface between generation past and generation Next, judging every moral decadence by redefining what should hold as core value. This we're not going to do by only means of word of mouth but our action must complement it by standing out for the true cause of what we believe and live for. Every moment of our lives must be defined and redefined as meeting up to required standard of living for a greater cause beyond us reaching out to humanity. The greatest test of our character and life will be determined by where we stand in the time of adversity, it is either we let it turn us to a poor specimen or it redefines our strength in becoming more virile to outweigh any stormy path.

At every point in each phase, we are writing history for generation to read. If so be it what are we writing ready to pass on to generations? GenerationNEXT will only hear and learn from our good works that has be written in the annals of humanity, let it be that they find good lasting episode to hear of you. Many of us have history at our disposal but not learning from it. Histories are series of events we ought to learn from so the mistakes are not repeated in our time. Simply put, what you export as legacy to generation is the story of your life fulfillment that can be ready in the annals of history or events. Mistakes are made so that we don’t make such mistakes again, always learn from past mistake and used it as correction model for your life.

As I finally make conclusion on the whole series, we must understand that our generation must come to a fair leveling ground where the errors and mistakes of generation gone must be strengthened by us so it doesn't become a mistake or error passed on to generation behind us and posterities. This will be achievable only when we get our hands together on those principles that define our core values. Here’s how my father put it:

“harbour not impure thoughts nor peddle with loose words, neither allow unhealthy actions to lead you into tragic deeds; cause you are made to nurture and protect creatures of the universe.” – Israel Olufemi Abiona

The future you've ever longed for won't meet you in your comfort zone, you've got to go in search of it in the field..it's laying fallow in the field waiting for your discovery! In which aspect would you want to be poured out for your generations? The ball is in your court, play it as you wish but how you play it will determine what people say of the game in future. Your destiny now lies in comfort of your hand.

CREDIT!!  

We acknowledge YOU Great People join us Live as our SPECIAL ONLINE GUEST in the  5 stream of the series on "INHERITANCE - the father's heart" from Monday 8th September till today Friday 12^thSeptember. Your precious moment given to following the live feed update of the series is of great recognition. All the way Thanks a Million! Feel free to share the update on the series as it is archived on the hashtag #Inheritance on twitter and facebook social channel, www.twitter.com/emmanuel_abiona, www.facebook.com/AbionaEmma. Also archived on this blog channel: www.themarketplacestrategist.blogspot.com

– emmanuel  ABIONA,
+(234) 809-944-8795 
BBM Pin: 7F41764F

INHERITANCE – the father’s heart (#Day 4 Stream)

Copyright © 2014, Marketplace Strategist. All rights reserved.

Good day Great PEOPLE, its been my singular honour to welcome You once again to your insightful conversation and tour on the "INHERITANCE - the father's heart" Series. Welcome onboard Day 4 Stream as our SPECIAL ONLINE GUEST. Great discovery, eye opening and mind stretching conversation have been happening here Live since Monday we commenced the series. To get Live feeds of the update of whole series, follow up the hash tag #Inheritance on Facebook and twitter: you can also follow up on twitter handle @emmanuel_abiona, Facebook/AbionaEmma and here on www.themarketplacestrategist.blogspot.com.

 Today we take our discuss to a level which distinguishes component dimension of how to export our legacy beyond our present reach to generations. Vision will be the answer to that. Living the end from beginning and be able to cast a view on the future beyond the now depict vision. Vision is an expression of a mind geared toward building an empire with the future in view. Vision is the ability to forecast into the future and live it reality while still in the present.
It come with such a strong force of focus that makes you glance your gaze at the future. Focus is the right language to quantify vision, no sign of distraction attached to it. If it's distracting and loss of concentration engulfing it then it ain't vision, rather it is a mirage. At this point all I could advise is to go clear your eye! For real, what many sees as vision is simply mirage that doesn't go forth beyond a inch. Its so deluded that them self can't see talk less others, in the city of the blind only the blind will lead.

 One truth you must know about vision is that it's not self-centered or selfish, it goes beyond you. There is nothing like sole proprietorship, it's either for humanity or not. If you're sole beneficiary of what you termed as vision then you're still daydreaming. It can't be said that you possess one, go sit down and re-strategize. Your vision is not for you, it's put in you to give out to humanity. So the sole beneficiary of your vision is humanity. Can I stumble this question to you? What vision have you written ready to pass on? Can it outlast your stay here on earth? Or does what you see as vision meaningful first to you before exporting it as an idea to generation? Until you see the larger picture of your life and where you belong in the take of life before you can boldly say of a truth that you've got a vision. The writing on the table must be plain enough for people and generations to read, start running with and equally in return tell other...that's blueprint of vision.

"Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run" says God to the Prophet in a response. The picture of your vision stand as witness and testimony to generations, though its fulfillment might take time -hang on! Time is the determinant factor of how your vision goes, it rightly spell the terms and conditions of vision.

 As today's stream is being brought to close, if it ain't greater than you then it's nothing short of mediocrity. Vision must be greater than you so that you can always stretch forth your horizon in thinking beyond the now.To some it's 'we're able to possess the land though giants might be the order of the land', while some is 'there be many giants, we're unable to possess'. All is a function of mentality!

 A 'now' thing that get stared up for a moment and later drains up in an twinkling can't be said to be a vision we'll export to generations. When you start to live life from the end that's when it could be said that you're living for a cause greater than. Any cause not greater than you is no vision, so stop the waste on running it...simply put it's mediocrity in the highest order.

Thanks for the stop bye as our Special online GUEST, it's worth the audience! See you tomorrow Friday 12th for the last stream on the series 'INHERITANCE - the father's heart'. Till then start living the bigger picture of life.

 NB:for update on the series, follow the hashtag #Inheritance on facebook and twitter. Also archived on twitter handle @emmanuel_abiona, Facebook/AbionaEmma and www.themarketplacestrategist.blogspot.com. 

– emmanuel  ABIONA,
+(234) 809-944-8795
BBM Pin: 7F41764F