MINE YOUR MIND
Anthony Burgess was 40 when he learned that he had only one year to live. He had a brain tumor that would kill him within a year. He know he had a battle on his hands. He was completely broke at the time, and he didn't have anything to leave behind for his wife, Lynne, soon to be a window.
Burgess had never been a professional novelist in the past, but he always knew the potential was inside him to be a writer. So, for the sole purpose of leaving wealth behind for his wife, he put a piece of paper into a typewriter and began writing. He had no certainty that he would even be published, but he couldn't think of anything else to do.

"It was January of 1960," he said, "and according to the prognosis, I had a winter and spring and summer to live through, and would die with the fail of the leaf."
In that time Burgess wrote energetically, finishing five and a half novels before the year was over (very nearly the entire lifetime output of E.M. Forster, and almost twice that of J. D. Salinger.)
one year to live But Burgess did not die. His cancer had gone into remission and then disappeared altogether. In his long and full life as a novelist ( he is best known for A Clock-work Orange), he wrote more than 70 books, but without the death sentence from cancer, he may not have written at all.
By the reason of his predicament he blew the mind of history by writing 5 Novels, which happens to be the entire life work of other great Novelists. And in all, his death sentence pushed him to the wall and extracted greatness, causing him to do the impossible: writing over 70 Novels.
Many of us are like Anthony Burgess, hiding greatness inside, waiting for some external emergency or some persons somewhere that doesn't exist to bring it out. Perhaps its God you are waiting for to bring it out. A Dear man of God, Pastor Chris often says, "God has done and given you everything you need, its in your place to discover and use them." And Bishop Oyedepo affirmed it when he said, "Predestination is an act of God but the fulfillment of it is the responsibility of man."
Ask yourself what you'd do if you had Anthony Burgess's original predicament. " If I had just a year to live, how would I live differently? What exactly would I do?" EXTRACT your Heart, MINE your Mind.
Be Inspired
Emmanuel Umukoro
CEO,HALLMARKs

IMAGINATION
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Main Character in TERMINATOR popularly called Commando by Nigerians) was not that famous in 1976 when he met with a newspaper reporter. The reporter asked Schwarzenegger, "Now that you've retired from bodybuilding, what do you plan to do next?"
Schwarzenegger answered very calmly and confidently: " I'm going to be the #1 movie star in Hollywood."

The reporter was shocked and amused at Schwarzenegger's plan. At that time, it was very hard to imagine how this muscle-bound body builder, who was not a professional actor and who spoke poor English with a strong Austrian accent, could ever hope to be Hollywood's #1 movie star! As at the time, Muscular men had no place in Hollywood.
So the reporter asked Schwarzenegger how he planed making his dream come true, Schwarzenegger said: " I" ll do it the same way I became the #1 body builder in the world. What I did was to create a vision of who I want to be, then I start living like that person in my mind as if it were already true." Sounds almost childishly simple, doesn't it? But it worked! Schwarzenegger DID become the #1 highest paid movie star in Hollywood!
Psychologists tell us that nothing controls our live more than our self-image. We live like the person we see in the mirror. We are what we think we are. If you don't think you'll see be successful, you won't. You can't be it if you can't see it.
The President and Founder of Believers Love world Nation once asserted: "The extent of your Vision is the boundary of your Blessings." He equally said, 'You can only go as far as you can see in your minds' eye.'
Take it or leave it, "You are today what you saw yesterday, and what you see today is what you'll be tomorrow" - Emmanuel Umukoro.
Nobody ever became something big who had no vision. Late Dr. Myles Munroe confirmed it when he said, "For true visionaries, the imaginary world of their visions is more real to them than the concrete reality around them." Same said The Most smartest scientific mind the world has seen of recent-Dr. Albert Einstein when he wrote, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. " On another occasion he said, " "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."
Counting Imagination and Vision as a tool of Success might sound childish but Many Successful people, in ministry, in science and other fields have found it to be a useful tool.
If you must become something or someone great, then you must first look away from your present small estate and live in the reality of your vision. Don't just read this, spend time to See yourself in the future right now, not later. Be Visionary.
Be Inspired
Emmanuel Umukoro
CEO, HALLMARKs

EXCUSES-THE FASTEST TRACK TO FAILURE.
Andrew Wommack once told of a woman in his church who said something along this lines: "I know that God wants me to go to Colorado springs and go to Bible college so i can begin a better walk, but the issue is i have two dogs i am taking care of. And i can't abandon them and come to college."
There are several definitions for 'Excuse' as a word but in simple words I'd rather call it 'Success Murderer'.
My Mentor often says 'Excuses demeans (reduces) a man'. It begins as a tiny powerless insect on a Vegetable but never leaves the Vegetable until it is completely worthless. It is like an intangible and invisible harmless virus that operates with the aim of getting a man off Success track but operates at such a slow paste that the man never observes.

Some people, just too many persons have built up their worlds with Excuses. They always have a reason for performing below their capacity or below what's expected of them. In the book 'Failing Forward', John Maxwell wrote, "Each time you make a mistake and you give explanation to your failure, you've made another mistake." sometimes the explanations are true and honest, but regardless, a thousand and one explanation for Failure will not turn failure to Success. A top Motivational Speaker in Nigeria- Fela Durotoye rightly said" Failure plus Excuse does not equal success."
The thing is Some people are just so fund of Excuses, they wouldn't discipline themselves enough to live an Excuse-Free life. But Here is excuses for you; for the man who wouldn't discipline himself in school to make good grades, excuses will present itself in an accepted way when the man needs to give reasons for his failure. To the man who woke up late on the day of his appointment into a new line of employment, he will probably explain that he slept late. The pain is, there is always a reason for everything. You'll never have to struggle in your mind to get a suitable excuse for failure. Excuses will always present itself. But if you don't get a hold of yourself and stay in control of your life, excuses will control it for you.
Be Inspired
Emmanuel Umukoro
CEO, HALLMARKs

THEY ARE WRONG; ONLY YOU CAN MAKE THEM RIGHT.
Thomas Edison was expelled from school in the sixth grade. His Parents were told that it would be a waste of time to spend any money educating him because he was not particularly smart or capable of being taught anything. But eventually, Edison went on to become the greatest inventor of the modern age, patenting over a thousand inventions.
Albert Einstein and Dr. Albert Schweitzer were sent home from school because they were diagnosed of having learning disability.
Schweitzer's Parents were advised to apprentice him to a shoemaker so that he would have a secure job. But both men went on to earn Doctorate degree before the age of twenty.
Marcus Arelius once said, " Everything we hear is an OPINION, NOT A FACT..."
I could go ahead to list many more great men of the past and of our present age whom People's opinion of their potential and future have been wrong. And believe me, they won't stop being wrong. Do not live your life trying to prove them wrong, but note that you are the only one who can make their opinions about you right.
Be Inspired
Emmanuel Umukoro
CEO, HALLMARKs

GARBAGES
A man once told of his experience with a taxi driver, and it goes thus: "One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us even though he did wrong. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck'.

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on."
There are more frustrated and anger stricken people out there than there are once with healthy Spirit. So each day, make up your mind not to let anyone empty their garbage in your truck.
Here is a word I say to myself that gets me going each time someone tries to offend me. I just say, "Emmanuel, don't let their bad attitude turn your good into bad." Each time you react with bad attitude to a bad attitude, you've let yourself become as negative as they are.
Success is a Journey that demands a clean and healthy Spirit. Don't give room to garbages on your journey.
Be Inspired
Emmanuel Umukoro
CEO, HALLMARKs