7 EXTRA-ORDINARY CHOICES ORDINARY PEOPLE MAKE TO LIVE EXTRA-ORDINARY LIVES

How will you sum up your life at the end?

 A.  Wasted?

  B. Partially lived?

 C. Indifferent?

D.At least?

 E.Fully lived, destiny maximized?

The truth is one day your name will be mentioned as Prof/Dr/ Mr/ Mrs So  So and So(1970-20?), that small (-) will represent the duration of your life. It will represent your days on earth. It will represent how you live your life. It will represent the answer you chose in the above options. Will that dash represent a wasted life or a life fully maximized? The answer depends on the choices you make. Life will always present you alternatives, but you can choose the direction of your life. You can choose a life well lived not in terms of quantity but of quality.

 I was in a meeting when a man was talking about the quality of Jesus’s life, he said, “Jesus accomplished in his 33½ years what Methuselah couldn’t accomplish in his 969 years!” I said “what a profound thought!”  

You see, everybody in life is capable of living an extra-ordinary life. Any failure can become a success. You can drastically transform your life by making extra-ordinary choices. It’s our decision that decides our destiny!

Here are 7 extra-ordinary choices ordinary people make to live extra-ordinary lives.

1.Choose To Fulfill Your Destiny No Matter What!

I heard Lisa Nichols say in one of her interviews “Choose to be a no matter what person” I want you to purpose in your heart that no matter what you are going through, you are going to fulfill the destiny of God for your life. No matter the circumstances of your birth, no matter what the experiences of your growing up were, no matter where you are, no matter where you have been, no matter what your past lifestyles were – no matter what- choose to fulfill your destiny! Choose.

   Choose to go forward in the face of overwhelming odds. Choose to go forward whether you are appreciated or not, whether you are noticed or not and whether the money is there or not

. Choose not to live an ordinary life again!

2.Choose not to look down on yourself

Don’t look down on yourself. It’s true you might have tried before and failed. Your friends and colleagues might not think too highly of you. Your current relationships might have drained your self-esteem. You may be feeling currently empty! Whatever, it is. You are more than this! Don’t allow what is happening around you to destroy you and your purpose. Your value in God’s eyes is far beyond your past performances and the opinions of others around. You are a destiny child.

Reclaim your life. Promise yourself you will not live this way. Promise yourself, you will bless your world with the greatness God has put in you. Forgive your past, embrace a new day. Celebrate your destiny. Let go of your limiting beliefs and thought system.  Choose to come out of your past and enter into the future God has for you! It is a choice you must make!

Recommend book:

It’s In You: How to Get What You Want With What You Have

3.Choose to keep making progress

Efforts add up.

Make a daily commitment to become better. There is always a room for self-improvement.
I have seen people who haven’t CHANGED in the last five years. They simply have repeated same experience for five times. They have grown older but not better!
Don’t live your life that way.
The difference between excellence and mediocrity is just an extra thought as a result of extra knowledge.

Don’t be an old dog that can’t learn new tricks.
Always stay open to new ideas that will help you fulfill your destiny on earth.
Talent in its raw state has no commercial value; it has to be sharpened to become any commercial value.
Yet there are many uncultured talents that pass through our streets daily.

Through daily and constant improvement, talent can become skill and skill can become competence!
Competence is talent in its final state.

There is always a place at the top for a man who is always thinking up, acting up and staying up.
Don’t forget that the enemy of best is ‘better.’ Choose to keep making progress everyday of your life, of course, only in the direction of your destiny.

4.Choose Not to Let A Knocked Down, Knock You Out!

Knocked down 7times, rise up 8times!
Don’t allow a setback to turn to a pack up, don’t turn a comma to a full stop, and refuse to allow refusals, rejections or denials as your fate.
Whatever, keep going. You are on a destiny journey.
Winners don’t quit, quitters don’t win.
King Solomon observes; ‘A righteous man falls seven times, seven times he rises again’ I perceive that is what makes that man righteous!

Persistence is greater than genius

. Choose to keep taking the next step.

Choose To Be a Positive Influence

“You are the salt of the world…” Said Jesus.
About 8years ago I wrote my First Book entitled “Your Importance to Your Generation.” My passion hasn’t changed. The core of that book is how you can use your life to influence your world. Now I like the word “influence” because of its meaning. To influence means to exact a weight upon something. Impact is another word that is closely related.

When Jesus said “you are the salt of the world” He had

the word “influence” in mind. The purpose of salt in the soup is to ‘influence’ it. To add taste! Do you get it? To be an influencer simply means to add “taste” to your world. To add taste to your family; your community, your nation and the world at large.

The Psychologists believe that an average person influences 10 persons a day either on the conscious level or unconsciously. However, the influence could be positive or negative.
The point is: You are already influencing somebody. Is it +, – or ±?
Don’t look at yourself and say what can I do? You see, it’s not much salt that causes much influence in the soup, it’s little.
You have got what it takes to make a difference where you are. Your “little” contribution could make a major difference. Part of your destiny is to influence people positively.
Make a conscious decision to become a positive influence everywhere you go. See the impact we can together make in our world. Don’t forget you have a role to play in your generation.

6.Choose To Participate In Life

Life is not meant to be a TV watched on a screen. Life is meant to be lived, to be involved. And all of us have equal chances. Nobody is overqualified, nobody is under qualified. We all have right to participate in life.

Don’t live your life as though you had less right to live.
Get fully involved!
Put on your jersey, find your own number, locate your own field, start the game!
Don’t go consult others whether you are qualified or not, nobody has that verdict on you. In the game of life you decide to play and that is all.

It’s good to cheer, appreciate, applaud other players; but don’t be carried away to forget to play your own game.
Start the game, take the next pass, dribble your fears, doubts, restraints, constraints and take the ball to the goalpost!

Score some g-o-a-l-s!
Be actively involved in life; participate fully!

7.Choose To Bring Out the Greatness God has put in You.

I love this statement by Marianne Williamson. Please read it carefully:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,

talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you NOT to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to manifest the glory that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other

people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence

automatically liberates others.

Friend, bring it out. Let your light shine. Choose to bring out the greatness God has put into you. The whole world is excitedly waiting for the beauty of your destiny.

Culled from Chapter Seven of my new book “How to Find Your Life Purpose: Embracing Your Personal Greatness” available here

About The Author

Dr. Duyilemi Akindele Felix is a renowned  writer and International Inspirational Speaker. He is a popularly sought after Speaker in Corporate Organizations, Schools, Seminars and Churches. He has written a number of inspirational books including “It’s In You” “Pick Up Your Broken dreams” “Wake Up Your Destiny” and others.