THE JOURNEY BEGINS

At THE JOURNEY BEGINS (TJB), we believe that God has destined you to be a leader. It does not matter who you are or where you have been, you are born to influence and impact your generation.
Start your journey with us!
12 Saturdays. January 7th - March 25th.
10am - 2pm.
Send your Name, location & The Journey Begins to 09057824491, 08037774857, 08187987453.

Ranking the Least Intelligent Presidents in U.S. History

How smart are U.S. presidents?

In a 2006 study, UC Davis professor Dean Simonton used historiometric methods to estimate each president’s IQ. Simonton analyzed information from each president’s biographies, speeches and writings that would indicate intelligence.
Simonton estimated four different IQ values for each president. At InsideGov, we averaged all four IQs to get our rankings of the 25 least intelligent presidents in U.S. history. Note that President Obama was not included in the study.
With an average IQ of 128.5, these presidents are still smart, but the bar is set pretty high by the most intelligent commanders-in-chief. For reference, the average IQ for the general public is 100.
This list is by no means definitive, but it should give a general overview of each president's relative intelligence.

#25 - Rutherford B. Hayes

Estimated IQ: 133.9
College: Kenyon College
Hayes oversaw the end of Reconstruction and attempted to bring the nation together following the end of the Civil War. He worked as an attorney in Ohio prior to his career in politics.

#24 - Martin Van Buren

Estimated IQ: 133.4
College: None
Prior to his stint as America's eighth President, Van Buren served as the Secretary of State from 1829 to 1831 and Vice President from 1833 to 1837, both under Andrew Jackson.

#23 - George Washington

Estimated IQ: 132.5
College: None
Washington received no formal education and achieved the equivalent of an elementary school education from a variety of tutors. Prior to becoming the nation's first President, he served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

#22 - Benjamin Harrison

Estimated IQ: 130
College: Miami University
Before becoming the country's 23rd President, Harrison was a prominent attorney in Indianapolis. While attending Miami, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and the Delta Chi law fraternity. He graduated in 1852.

#21 - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Estimated IQ: 131.9
College: U.S. Military Academy (West Point)
Eisenhower was the last U.S. President to be born in the 19th century. While a student at West Point, he was a member of the varsity football team. He later served as a five-star general during World War II.

#20 - Richard Nixon

Estimated IQ: 131
College: Whittier College
Though Nixon's presidency was marred in scandal and controversy, he was effective in accomplishing some major foreign policy goals and pushing for more environmental regulation. He earned his bachelor's degree from Whittier in 1934 and received his law degree from Duke University in 1937.

#19 - Grover Cleveland

Estimated IQ: 130.9
College: None
Cleveland is the only President in U.S. history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. Despite receiving no college education, he had a prominent law career in Eerie County, New York, prior to his career in politics.

#18 - James K. Polk

Estimated IQ: 130.2
College: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Polk graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 1818. In his one term as president, Polk presided over the Mexican War, dramatically expanded the size of the country and overhauled the nation’s finance system.

#17 - William McKinley

Estimated IQ: 130.2
College: Allegheny College (withdrew)
McKinley enrolled at Allegheny College in 1859 but dropped out after one year. He later earned a law degree from Albany Law School. President McKinley was tragically assassinated just six months into his second term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#16 - George H.W. Bush

Estimated IQ: 130.1
College: Yale University
Before he attended Yale, George H. W. Bush enlisted in the Navy and served until the end of World War II. While at Yale, he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and a captain on the varsity baseball team. He earned his degree in two and a half years.

#15 - Ronald Reagan

Estimated IQ: 130
College: Eureka College
Although Reagan ranks lower than most presidents in terms of IQ, he is considered to be one of the most effective presidents. In fact, in a 2013 Gallup poll, Americans ranked Reagan as the second best modern U.S. president.

#14 - Herbert Hoover

Estimated IQ: 129.78
College: Stanford University
Hoover was part of the first class to enter Stanford University. Although he had a successful career as a mining engineer, Hoover struggled to deal with the onset of the Great Depression as president.

#13 - Lyndon B. Johnson

Estimated IQ: 127.83
College: Southwest Texas State Teachers College
Before entering politics, LBJ excelled as a teacher at an impoverished school. As president, Johnson pushed an aggressive reform agenda and navigated the beginning of the Vietnam War.

#12 - Harry Truman

Estimated IQ: 127.55
College: Spalding’s Commercial College (did not graduate)
Truman entered the White House with one of the highest presidential approval ratings in history, but soon lost public support. He also had one of the most interesting jobs before becoming president, working at a men’s haberdashery store.

#11 - Calvin Coolidge

Estimated IQ: 127.1
College: Amherst College
Known as “Silent Cal,” President Coolidge was a notoriously taciturn president. Although the end of his presidency was marred by economic collapse in the U.S., he is still admired by conservatives today for his belief in a small central government.

#10 - Gerald Ford

Estimated IQ: 127.08
College: University of Michigan
A football star at the University of Michigan, Ford received contract offers from the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Instead, he opted for a different career path, enrolling at Yale Law School.

#9 - William Howard Taft

Estimated IQ: 126.9
College: Yale University
When Teddy Roosevelt hand-picked Taft as his successor, he was expecting someone who would push an active reform agenda. However, Taft proved to a more hesitant leader, even writing to Roosevelt, “I do not know if I have had harder luck than other presidents, but I do know that I have succeeded far less than others.”

Estimated IQ: 126.25
College: None
Andrew Jackson had a fearsome reputation as a politician and soldier. He was known to duel his rivals—even to the death—and was a quick-tempered leader. His presidency involved several controversial events such as the Trail of Tears and his attempts to destroy the Federal Bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#7 - James Buchanan

Estimated IQ: 125.93
College: Dickinson College
Buchanan is often considered to be one of the worst presidents in history for his failure to deal with the issue of slavery. In fact, Buchanan ranked dead-last among U.S. presidents in a 2015 poll conducted by the Brookings Institute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#6 - Zachary Taylor

Estimated IQ: 125.65
College: None
Nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready,” Zachary Taylor was a celebrated war hero for his role in the Mexican-American War. Unfortunately, his military skills didn’t translate into a successful presidency.

#5 - Andrew Johnson

Estimated IQ: 125.65
College: None
Johnson was born in a log cabin to a family of modest means. Like Taylor, Johnson never received a formal college education, but had a knack for climbing the political ladder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#4 - George W. Bush

Estimated IQ: 124.88
College: Yale University
Throughout Bush’s presidency, the media frequently raised questions about his intelligence, often pointing to his verbal slips. New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait even wrote: “I see only evidence of a man who not only lacks the ability to think analytically but disdains the very notion of it.”
While it’s true that Bush ranks among the least intelligent presidents, his estimated IQ places him around the average score for a college graduate in the United States.

 

 

#3 - Warren G. Harding

Estimated IQ: 124.3
College: Ohio Central College
Harding had a diverse career before entering politics, working as a teacher, insurance salesman and journalist. Harding’s tenure as president was abruptly cut short, when he suffered a fatal heart attack during his third year in office.

 

#2 - James Monroe

Estimated IQ: 124.13
College: The College of William and Mary (did not graduate)
Besides George Washington, Monroe was the only president to run unopposed for re-election. Although he may have lacked the intellectual brilliance of some of the other founding fathers, Monroe was nonetheless a successful president.

 

#1 - Ulysses S. Grant

Estimated IQ: 120
College: United States Military Academy
Unlike his rival, Robert E. Lee, Grant was an average student at West Point. While there’s no doubting Grant’s contribution to ending the Civil War, he was a lackluster president. Historians have noted his rough style of conversation and tendency to binge drink.

RCCG youth pastor Akolade Arowolo sentenced to death for murdering his wife

REDEEMED Christian Church of God (RCCG) clergyman Pastor Akolade Arowolo has been sentenced to die by hanging at the Ikeja High Court in Lagos State for the murder of his banker wife Titilayo.

Pastor Arowolo, a youth pastor at the church, fell down in the dock and started shouting Jesus Have Mercy after he was sentenced yesterday. Prosecutors were able to present compelling evidence indicating that he killed Titilayo, who worked for Skye Bank, that led to his conviction and sentencing by Justice Lateefat Okunu.

Testimony in the form of a forensic report from Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa, a pathologist, was what the court used to determine that there was no way the deceased could have stabbed herself to death. Professor Obafunwa testified that his autopsy report revealed that Titilayo was killed through 76 knife stab wounds.

There were claims by Pastor Arowolo, suggesting that his wife was possessed and inflicted injuries on herself. However, Professor Obafunwa pointed out in his testimony that the deceased could not have inflicted such wounds on herself and to further prove its case, the prosecution invited some of Titilayo’s family members who testified that Arowolo and his wife had always had a troubled marriage.

Her father, George Oyakhire, sister, Ijeh and mother-in-law, Adetoun Yeside Oyakhire, testified that the couple lived a cat and mouse life. They claimed that the family had at several times, settled serious fights between the couple nut none of the witnesses, however, saw what actually happened on the day Titilayo died.

Pastor Arowolo’s co-tenant, Adewale Adeyemi, in his evidence said that on the day of the incident he heard a loud noise when he was in his apartment and later saw the clergyman rushing out with a deep cut in his palms. He claimed to have also seen a hammer and a knife with a broken handle in the yard.

In his own evidence, Pastor Arowolo his claimed that he and his deceased wife had passionate sex for two hours and kissed on the same day she died. He claimed that Titi then stabbed herself to death on the day after they had a fight.

Also, Pastor Arowolo claimed that Titilayo was possessed by an evil spirit and inflicted several stab wounds on him before turning to herself. Arowolo’s father, Mudashiru and mother also testified of their son’s good behaviour, insisting he could not have killed his wife, as he has always been a religious person and was incapable of murder.

Donald Trump’s Cabinet Is On Track To Be The Least Experienced In Modern History

President-elect Donald Trump shocked many observers when he tapped Betsy DeVos to head the Department of Education.
DeVos quickly accepted the nomination, which continues a trend that officials involved in previous transition teams say is concerning because, like many of Trump’s other early picks, she has no previous experience in government.
“When we were in the Obama transition, one of the big concerns we had that there were a lot of people coming into government who did not necessarily have federal government experience,” said Norman Eisen, a former ambassador who worked on President Barack Obama’s White House transition team in 2008. “The Trump transition has that problem on steroids.”
Indeed, Trump’s roster of key White House advisers and Cabinet officials could, in the end, rank among the least experienced in recent presidential history.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist, headed right-wing news site Breitbart News before chairing the president-elect’s campaign. Reince Priebus, Trump’s chief of staff, previously ran the Republican National Committee. And Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a key presidential campaign strategist who is now being discussed as a White House adviser, ran his family’s real estate business before entering politics. 
None of those individuals has worked in government.
In addition, Trump tapped South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) Wednesday to be his United Nations Ambassador. She has little, if any, official foreign policy experience.
To Trump, who pledged to “drain the swamp” of the nation’s capital, and his allies, this may be a key selling point of his picks. To Eisen, who now works at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, D.C., it points to potential problems ― both in the development of policy and in terms of simple governance.

Government is like any other profession ― it requires expertise. Norman Eisen, former Obama transition adviser

“Government is like any other profession ― it requires expertise,” Eisen told The Huffington Post. “I don’t think you’d want that gang, if they had a similar lack of expertise in surgery, operating on you with that level of comparable medical experience. And the same is true in government.”
While DeVos has never worked in a school or agency that dealt directly with education policy, she has served as the chair of the Michigan Republican Party and headed organizations that focus on education reform.
By contrast, Dr. Ben Carson. ― Trump’s preferred choice to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development ― has no identifiable expertise in housing policy. And he’s never served in government, let alone atop a federal agency. Carson himself has worried that his lack of experience could potentially “cripple the presidency” if Trump tapped him to serve in the Cabinet, his senior adviser admitted.
“Unlike Betsy DeVos who at least has some experience with the issue, I think Carson’s experience with the sorts of things that HUD does is very, very top down ― to put it gently. Housing is a very complicated issue for example,” said William Galston, who was previously a policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton. He now heads governance studies at the Brookings Institution.
Galston suggested that inexperienced Cabinet appointees would likely select more seasoned deputies. He likened it to the chief executive of a company having a chief operating officer with greater knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the business’s operations.
“Frankly, I’m more concerned about what people stand for than I am about their lack of experience,” Galston said. “My assumption is that unless people are really stupid, if they want to move an agenda, then they will pick senior deputies who know how to move agendas through the machinery of government.”
Galston raised concerns, however, about the outsize role that Trump loyalists and family members were likely to play in the incoming administration.
“When you bring in so many friends and family into your inner circle that can easily create a circle the wagons phenomenon,” he said. “That can have the effect of slowing or even discouraging the free flow of information on which every president depends. The last thing any president needs is a palace full of courtiers.”
Other Trump choices are raising eyebrows for reasons other than experience. Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency for two years. But Flynn was fired in 2014, in part because of concerns over his management style, which one former Pentagon official called “disruptive.”
A figure close to the Trump transition team said he’s concerned about this nomination, because being national security adviser requires a diplomatic style that appears lacking in Flynn.
“What’s worrisome is that the NSC job is a traffic cop job. He should be coordinating policy, not dictating it. Imagine how this will go: Mattis (who outranked Flynn and whom everyone seems to like) disagrees with Flynn. Does Flynn then scream at him or spend time undermining him? Same with Secretary of State Romney,” said the source, referencing Trump’s consideration of former Gen. James Mattis for Secretary of Defense and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) for the top diplomat post.
“And when it come time to brief Trump how does Flynn handle a situation where all of the Cabinet is unified and Trump disagrees?” the adviser added.
Jay Lefkowitz, who advised former President George W. Bush on domestic policy and later served as the administration’s special human rights envoy to North Korea, was less concerned about the relative inexperience of Trump’s selections thus far.
Lefkowitz noted that DeVos’ lack of federal government experience made her the ideal pick for an agency “in desperate need of reform.”
“There is a little bit of institutional knowledge ― how things actually work. It actually helps to have been through this a little bit,” Lefkowitz said. “There are some really good people who have been in the White House before and been on the Hill before who I hope he takes a look at.”
“On the other hand, one of his appeals was that he was going to break away from conventional politics and conventional bureaucrats,” Lefkowitz added.
From this perspective, having fresh faces in key posts, he concluded, is “a net positive, not a net negative.”
But Eisen, who noted that Trump is himself inexperienced, as the first president-elect who hasn’t served either in the government or the military, isn’t convinced.
“You have either no experience or the wrong kind of experience,” he said. “That starts at the top, and it’s very troubling.”

4 Things Leaders Must Do to Bring the Best Out Of People

According to a survey by the Conference Board, a global market research firm, most of today’s employees in the workplace dislike their jobs. In addition, a survey conducted by Right Management, a division of Manpower, illustrated that 60% of employees intend to leave their jobs when the economy improves. It’s no secret that the majority of today’s employees are unmotivated and disengaged in the workplace and their disengagement according the Gallup organization costs employers roughly $300 billion annually.
What can organizations, managers and leaders do to create a workplace environment where employees are inspired to perform? Based on my experience of training thousands of supervisors, managers and senior level leaders across the country, I have concluded that workplace leaders must focus on being at least four things to their employees which display specific qualities that inspire, motivate, develop and empower employees to want to perform.
4 Things Leaders Must be to Bring the Best Out of People:

1. Be a Coach:

A coach is one who teaches, develops and helps employees identify obstacles that prevent top performance. Coaching is about strategically and tactfully asking your employees the right questions so they can learn to ultimately see things for themselves. Asking questions guides a person’s thinking. For example, instead of solving your employees problems and just giving them answers, a coach will ask a series of questions that probe the employee to solve the problem. This takes time, but if deliberately practiced, the employee will soon get in the habit of asking himself or herself the same questions and will ultimately develop a problem solving mentality just like the manager or leader who acted as the coach. Coaches are also energetic, passionate and lead by example. The coaching style is very attractive to employees who become receptive to the coach’s suggestions of new ways of working to improve performance.

2. Be a Sergeant:

A sergeant, just like a drill sergeant in the U.S. Army is one who pushes, challenges and transforms an individual to prepare them to succeed. As a sergeant, you must ultimately be ready to make decisions in times of crisis, emergencies and deadlines and stand by your decisions as your employees execute your demands without question. Keep in mind, many managers and leaders make the mistake of applying this style frequently, which results in employees who are only performing out of fear or they are intimidated by the manager or leader acting as the sergeant. While the manager or leader who frequently uses this style may still get results, he or she must understand that employees are more than likely only performing at half of their true capacity. They are indeed only performing just enough to keep from being fired. The sergeant must also knew when to apply pressure and stress to particular employees and teams so that they do not become too comfortable, complacent and content. The sergeant serves to remind them that in today’s competitive economy and workplace, there is no comfort zone!

3. Be an Encourager:

An encourager is one who supports, empathizes and listens to employees who may be experiencing personal issues, low morale, burned out or simply frustrated at work. So many managers and leaders continue to fail to understand that they must connect with their employees on a personal level. They believe that employees should just do what they are paid to do and that it is not necessary to get to know them personally. This is one of the biggest mistakes managers and leaders make and what they continually fail to realize is that an employee’s personal issues will eventually impact their professional performance. You do not have to become best friends with your employees, but you should know their hobbies, interest, personal goals, and birthdays. Remember, people don’t care how much you know and they won’t work as hard for you, until they truly know how much you care about them.

4. Be a Leader:

A leader is one who inspires people to pursue a greater purpose and ultimately a vision. Remember, the majority of employees in this nation dislike their jobs and since they are doing something they dislike on average 40 hours per week (160 hours per month), of course they are going to get burned out, lose sight of the goals and the vision. Being a leader means you must be a source of inspiration for your employees. You must sense when morale is low and do something that revitalizes them. Mahatma Gandhi said “be the change you wish you see,” so if you want upbeat, take initiative type employees, it starts with you setting the pace for your team to adjust and run instead of walk.
If you are not passionate and energetic about the work of your team and the organization, why should they be? Being a leader means living your vision and mission statement everyday with energy and reminding your employees that they are not just performing tasks and duties, but ultimately working for some greater purpose. Why do people volunteer for nonprofit organizations like Habitat for Humanity or Big Brothers Big Sisters? It’s because they receive invisible compensation called making a difference. If you act as a leader your employees will take on extra work without asking for extra pay because they understand their purpose. People will work for a paycheck, we know that, but people will also die for a cause, we know that as well.
Finally, it’s important to understand that none of the leadership styles above is better than the other, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. They key is learning when to apply the styles in specific situations and to specific employees. Stay focused and keep Grinding for Greatness!

PASTOR FELIX PETER

Felix Peter is the Lead Pastor of Solid Rock Youth Church, A Youth Church in The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 3. The Church is a fast growing, life transforming church committed to “Inspiring people for greater achievement”. The Church is located in Lagos-Ojo, Nigeria.  

He is also the President of THE JOURNEY BEGINS, an NGO that among others things specializes in leadership, motivational and Mentoring seminars whose primary objective is to empower young leaders and organizations to optimize their potential by leveraging relevant information resources.

He is a dynamic Youth Pastor, Teacher and Inspirational speaker. His mission is to inspire his generation to maximize their strengths, unlock their true potentials, and lead purposeful and impactful lives.

 

He represents a generation that believes that you can be empowered in all areas regardless of your background, colour and environment. He strongly believes we all are drivers of our destiny.

He is passionate about teaching – “Leadership, Potential Discovery, Success principles” -  through churches and various seminars. He is a much sought after speaker. His teachings have inspired, encouraged and spurred thousands of lives across the globe to start or advance their ministries, careers and businesses.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS FACILITATORS

Open Heavens 15 November 2016: Tuesday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Holiday in your Christian Walk?

Open Heavens 15 November 2016: Tuesday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Holiday in your Christian Walk?

Topic: Holiday in your Christian Walk [Tuesday 15, November 2016]

Memorise: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. – Luke 9:62

Read: Ezekiel 3:20 (KJV)

Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Bible in One Year: Genesis 25-26, Psalms 104:1-18

MESSAGE:

God’s ultimate purpose for saving people is to make them true worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. He wants souls that will conform to the image of His son, Jesus Christ. The will of the Almighty God for us is not just that we stand out in life. For our Christian walk to be commended by the host of heaven, we need to remain focused and committed to the end. We should not allow the things of this world to deter us from the pursuit of true worship. Anyone who has said “goodbye” to the world should never go back. You cannot afford to go on a holiday during your Christian walk. Don’t create an opportunity for the devil and his demons to access your life. Continue to dwell in the presence of God through witnessing, the study of His Word, in prayers and in fasting. Lot’s wife missed it because she could not let go of her worldly affection. She did not make progress and she became a pillar of salt. This will not be your portion in Jesus’ name. Have you been walking with the Lord passionately and you are getting tired? You need to check your life. If you quit, then you have lived for nothing. Those who begin the work of God must resolve in their hearts to go all the way. Every time you look back, is tantamount to taking a holiday and it is very dangerous because that is the window through which the devil will strike. His mission is to kill, to steal and destroy the lives of those who have separated themselves for Jesus. As long as you remain in Christ, you are secure. Looking back is drawing back and drawing back is moving towards perdition. Heaven is only for those who can endure to the end.

Heaven is for over-comers and Jesus is our only way there. Hence, there should be no room for sin in the life of anyone who wishes to make it to heaven. As long as your mind is made up, there should be no going back to the past. A moment of ungodly pleasure will destroy a life of testimonies. Joseph refused to take a break with his master’s wife; he ran and delivered himself from the devil’s trap. Don’t look back to those things you have dropped for the sake of Christ. Apostle Paul counted his achievements as dung. He pursued Christ till the very last moment. A disciple is a person with a singular focus, under one master. He must possess a single eye and live a single life. As long as you still have a mind for the world, you cannot be a candidate for His glory. One desire uppermost in my mind is to see believers live a life of excellence that demonstrates the magnificence of heaven. This can only happen when you walk in the revelation of 1 John 4:17; “because as he is, so are we in this world”. The one who wins will only be crowned if he runs with focus. You must run according to the rules of God. You have to forget the past and press forward for fresh victories in Christ Jesus. The zeal in our hearts must be so great that nothing will hinder us from fulfilling the plans and purpose of God for our lives. You cannot afford to stop running until you are called up into glory. Endure to the very end.

Key Point: Heaven is for great finishers not good starters.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Success comes not from what you know but who you know. Am so glad for the lives of these Intentional Influencers. @ Babalola E. Olamilekan Ayotunde Oladipupo Gregory Wealthy Dave Femi Sareaje Kenny Olufemi Michaels Wisdom Bradford Silva. We are set to transform Religion, Politics, Entertainment, Media, Business, Education.. etc.

Our Focus: Self-Management, Time-Management, Resource-Management, Task-Management, And Relationship-Management.

Our Core Values is derived from the Acronym LEAD

L= Love E= Excellence A=Accountability D=Discipline

Interested Participants should forward details to felixpeterinspires@gmail.com or call +2349057824491

Age 15-26 only.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Success comes not from what you know but who you know. Am so glad for the lives of these Intentional Influencers. @ Babalola E. Olamilekan Ayotunde Oladipupo Gregory Wealthy Dave Femi Sareaje Kenny Olufemi Michaels Wisdom Bradford Silva. We are set to transform Religion, Politics, Entertainment, Media, Business, Education.. etc.

Our Focus: Self-Management, Time-Management, Resource-Management, Task-Management, And Relationship-Management.

Our Core Values is derived from the Acronym LEAD

L= Love E= Excellence A=Accountability D=Discipline

Interested Participants should forward details to felixpeterinspires@gmail.com or call +2349057824491

Age 15-26 only.

Why Trump Could Be Great for Feminism

Sallie Krawcheck

CEO and Co-Founder of Ellevest

The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States could just be the best thing that has happened to feminism in a long time.
Huh? What?
Now stay with me for a second. Here’s why I think this could be the case:
We’re awake now. That’s because it’s all out in the open: the Billy Bush conversation, the recent New York Times OpEd on “bro talk on Wall Street,” even the light sentence for Brock Turner.  And while as a mother and an aunt, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it that we haven’t made more progress for younger women, this does represent an odd form of forward motion: we can’t really deal with an issue until we fully understand the issue.
This is some proof that we can’t rely on others to fight this battle for us, and so we must redouble our efforts. It’s hard to fight a battle that is not yours with the same energy of your own. This despite all of the research on how the advancement of feminism is good for businesses, the economy and society. The intellectual argument has not won the day.
I’m hearing from more and more women that we must “put on our big girl pants” and do this ourselves. The key to this is that we women have tremendous resources: we control $5 trillion of investable assets, we direct 80% of consumer spending, we’re more than half of the workforce. We’ve got a lot of power.
So it’s becoming clear that, if we care about this, we have to do something different – and more – tomorrow than we did yesterday.
What does using our power look like? It can be a range of things, some big, some small.....but incremental to what we are doing today. We can:
*Mentor other women
*Sponsor other women
*Talk up other women at work
*Amplify what other women say in meetings (see how women in the Obama White House did this for each other)
*Point out to others when they interrupt other women or ignore other women in meetings
*Point out when the words they use to compliment men (“aggressive” or “go-getter”) are used to put down women
*Don’t work at the company that doesn’t “get it” on making the work environment one in which you can be successful (Yes, I went there)
*Think hard about not joining or quitting a company that has no successful senior females running P&Ls…if they don’t “get it” by now, honestly, when are they going to get it?
*Invest our money in the markets, to give ourselves the opportunity to earn a higher return and close our personal “gender investing gap,” which has historically cost us...big time
*Buy from companies that promote women (check out BuyUp Index to help)
*Invest our money in companies that promote women (check out the Pax Ellevate Global Index Fund – full disclosure: I’m a partial owner – or the She Index)
*Donate to a female candidate whose views line up with yours in the next election
*If you’re able to, fund another woman’s business, through one of the crowdfunding sites that are springing up
*Encourage other women to run for office
*Run for office
*Start your own business, perhaps a business with a strong mission
*Agitate for mandated parental leave. Maybe it won’t happen at the national level (leaving us as the only developed country in the world without one); but let’s also fight at the company level (where only some 21% of companies have one…..despite the fact that these leaves pay for themselves pretty quickly)
*Talk to your children about these issues, honestly and openly. Let them know why this is important and why the fight isn’t over
One thought I keep coming back to: in a capitalist society, money is power. As noted, women have a lot of money. But we don’t (yet) have as much as the guys do…and we won’t be fully equal with men until we are financially equal with men. We won’t have all the degrees of freedom – to live the lives we want, to have the “f-u fund” so we can leave a bad relationship or a bad job and start that dream business – until we are financially equal with men.
So doing all that we can to be in financial control feels more important today than it did two weeks ago. It’s important that we break the old gender norms of “the man manages the money; I manage the household.” That leaves us retiring with two-thirds the money of men…but living 5+ years longer than they do. You don’t have to invest with Ellevest, but please get yourself a financial plan and invest.
Final thought, and it's an important one: This isn’t about excluding the men. It’s about including women. If women earn more, it grows the economy. If women invest more, it unleashes capital to grow businesses.  It’s a net win for all of us.
For other thoughts on what this new Trump era means, please see “A Letter to Young Women, in an Age of Trump.”
What did I miss? What else can we be doing? What else will get us there?
Sallie Krawcheck is the CEO of Ellevest, a digital investment platform for women. She is also Chair of Ellevate Network, a global professional women’s network. She is the author of Own It: The Power of Women at Work, to be released in January 2017.
Investing entails risk including the possible loss of principal and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time.

Trump’s victory a rallying call for new recruits-Jihadists

From Afghanistan to Algeria, jihadists plan to use Donald Trump’s shock U.S. presidential victory as a propaganda tool to bring new fighters to their battlefields. Abu Omar Khorasani, a top IS commander in Afghanistan, on Monday in Kabul said that Trump’s campaign trail rhetoric against Muslims at one point calling for a total shutdown of Muslims entering U.S. would play perfectly in their recruitment efforts, especially for disaffected youth in the West. ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads “This guy is a complete maniac. His utter hate towards Muslims will make our job much easier because we can recruit thousands. “Trump has talked tough against militant groups on the campaign trail, promising to defeat radical Islamic terrorism just as we won the Cold War,’’ he said. Khorasani said the president-elect later toned down his call for a total ban on Muslim entry to say he would temporarily suspend immigration from countries that have “a history of exporting terrorism’’. He noted that Trump has offered few details on his plans to combat various radical groups, including IS, the Taliban and al Qaeda, which represent a wide spectrum of political views. Republician presidential nominee Donald Trump waves as he arrives at a polling station in New York where Trump was to cast his ballot, November 8, 2016. / AFP PHOTO Moqtada al-Sadr, Iraq’s powerful Shi’ite Muslim cleric said Trump does not differentiate between extremists and moderate Islamist trends and, at the same time, he overlooks the fact that his extremism will generate extremism in return. Sadr’s political reform movement, which commands thousands of followers, is a staunch opponent of the radical Sunni movements IS and al Qaeda, and unlike them has not waged or promoted attacks in the West. “Our leaders were closely following the U.S. election but it was unexpected that the Americans will dig their own graves and they did so.’’ Hisham al Hashemi, Iraqi government adviser on Sunni jihadist movements, said that al Qaeda, which has proven resilient more than 15 years after launching the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, has yet to comment on Trump’s victory. He said the militant group would likely respond after Trump’s first speeches as president, anticipating they will be able to exploit his comments to win support. “Al Qaeda is known for its recruitment strategy that heavily quotes speeches of the White House and other Western officials,’’ he said. Matthew Henman, Head of IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, insisted the militants would still use those quotes by Trump. A senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan said the group, whose resurgence is undermining efforts to end America’s longest war, had kept track of all of Trump’s speeches and anti-Muslim comments. “If he does what he warned in his election campaign, I am sure it will provoke Muslim community across the world and Jihadist organisations can exploit it. Shortly after Trump’s victory, several jihadist sympathisers took to social media to declare this as an opportunity for their cause.

Learning, Earning and Returning: The 3 Stages of a Fulfilling Life

Learning.

The first third of your life you should be learning. Learn in school, learn from mentors, read, become a sponge and absorb everything. Dedicate your early years to learning -- both academically and in your everyday life. Challenge yourself and push yourself.
Related: 5 Mantras That Successful Entrepreneurs Share
Having three children who currently range from middle school to college, I see how important education is. And yes, your study habits do start at a young age. The discipline to learn and to want to learn begins in grammar school (when colleges will not even look at your transcripts). My oldest is now currently a sophomore at the University of Michigan in the Ross Business School and I am truly envious of her and how much she is learning.  The foundation of her academics can only benefit her regardless of her ultimate job -- and her passion to learn and succeed has become infectious to my younger children.
Regardless of which college you attend -- or candidly, don’t attend, (if this path is not your calling), you can learn in many ways. Reading books, listening to audio books, attending free meetings, finding a mentor.
Of course, life is not fair. Some of us do have advantages (financial, contacts, etc) but that’s life. If you do not have these advantages, work harder and prove to yourself and others that you can overcome and persevere.

Earning.

The second third of your life is earning:
Work -- odds are that you will be working to earn a living to support yourself and your family. Depending on your career choice and many other factors (too many to quote in this article), your annual compensation will vary. Find an industry you love and work hard to earn to your greatest potential.
Related: The 7 Tenets of Branding
Without sounding naïve, earning money is very important to sustain our quality of life, the basics of course and some luxuries of affordability. Whether you are earning until retirement and beyond, the quality of your work for both financial and personal reasons is immeasurable.

Returning.

The third part of your life is Returning.
When the speaker first mentioned “Returning,” I didn’t understand in which context it was being used. Did Returning mean going back to your town to really understand your roots and where you came from? Did it mean returning to your childhood friends and re-establishing those lost relationships? The speaker used Returning in a philanthropic way -- whether you earn $50,000 or $500,000 annually or anything in between, the latter years of your life should be returning to help those less fortunate.
Yes, the gift of giving should start in your younger years. As we mature, (I just turned 50 a few months ago, so I guess that means I’m either more mature now or just getting old), I do “get it” regarding helping those less fortunate. It’s not just about giving money. It’s about getting involved. There are many great causes -- business related, family-related, religious and otherwise. Pick one close to your heart and contribute whether it be with your money, or your time -- or both.
Related: The 4 Mantras of Successful Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneur is a business magazine, so allow me to spend a few minutes on the relationship between  business and philanthropy. Doing the right thing is always the “golden rule” -- but it’s amazing how getting involved in a cause will also positively affect your business. Don’t join an organization with the sole purpose of exploiting relationships. Do it for “returning” and you will enjoy generous “returns” on your investment. Over time, you will develop authentic relationships with like-minded people who hold similar passions for a specific charity.

Remembering.

And in closing, please indulge my poetic license. How about adding “remembering” as the fourth mantra to the previous three already discussed.
Yes, remembering where we came from, remembering who helped us along the way, and remembering our responsibility and obligation to the past.
Enjoy these simple, yet powerful expressions and remind yourself that these words and more importantly, their meanings, are a great platform to live the remainder of your life.

8 Things Successful People Do With Their Downtime

8 Things Successful People Do With Their Downtim

1. Exercise

Conventionally defined “successful” people often exercise regularly. Why this correlation? It could be a number of factors, as exercise has a ton of benefits. It could be that regularly exercising is a trait of motivated, goal-oriented people, who naturally succeed in other areas of life. It could be that the stress relief and energy boosts from the activity itself make them more productive and make them feel better throughout the day.
Or it could help to compartmentalize their life with regular routines. Whatever the case, the correlation is high.

2. Have fun

Have fun? And be successful at the same time? It seems like some kind of trap, yet tons of successful people -- including Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Sheryl Sandberg -- will likely tell you that taking a real break from work, on a bona fide vacation, will do wonders for your mental health, productivity and overall well-being. It may feel intimidating or even “wrong” to take a vacation, but the benefits are more than worth it.

3. Meditate

Spend some time learning how to meditate properly, and you’ll wonder what you did before the practice. Mindfulness meditation, at its most basic form, is simply a way to clear the mind of thought and be “present” in a given moment. Doing this for even 10 minutes a day can help you clear your mind, improve your memory, become more focused and reduce stress. It’s no wonder that meditation is such a common strategy among successful people.
Related: Entrepreneurs, Here's Why You Need Downtime For Your Mind

4. Read

There are so many benefits to reading regularly, it’s hard to know where to begin -- and it doesn’t matter much what you read, either. Reading newspapers, magazines, non-fiction books and fiction all can help you improve your vocabulary, broaden your perspectives, improve your memory and retention, and help you generate new ideas for your business or career. Even if you don’t have much time to sit and crack a book, you can at least listen to audiobooks during your commute or during other “dead” periods.

5. Learn.

Successful people know that no matter how much you think you know, there’s always something new to learn. Even if you’ve somehow mastered everything related to your industry, there’s always new information, trends and technology coming along to defy your expectations. Take the time to learn new things, whether that happens through workshops, classes, seminars or the act of just reaching out to new people.

6. Volunteer.

Successful people spend time volunteering, in part to give back to their communities, and in part for the networking opportunities. Volunteering tends to bring all types of people together, regardless of the specific type of volunteer event, so make sure to seek out these opportunities in your city -- even if it’s only for a few hours a month.

7. Network.

Networking events are always valuable, and you should make an effort to seek them out. New people can provide new opportunities, new contacts, new skills and new information. PLus, staying social is good for your mental health.

8. Appreciate loved ones.

Finally, the most successful people try to take time to appreciate their loved ones, though unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Some people are so possessed with the idea of making more money, getting more power or advancing their careers that they neglect the people who make it all worth it. Doing so may get you ahead a little faster, but it could leave you alienated, unfulfilled and feeling that all your hard work was a waste. Don’t be one of those people; make time for your friends and family.
Related: 3 Reasons Every Entrepreneur Needs to Take Vacation Time
Merely doing these eight things in your downtime won’t be enough to automatically make you more successful. Still, these strategies can help you minimize your stress, maximize your productivity and hone your focus to what matters most in your life. Cumulatively, they’ll help guide you toward a more successful and rewarding career -- and keep you sane while you're doing it.

Thank You, Dishonest Media!

“It may not be good for America, but It’s damn good for CBS,” said Les Moonves, CEO of CBS, in February 2016
Donald J. Drumpf
Winner
This post is hosted on the Huffington Post’s Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and post freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

A yuge thank you to CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC and all the dishonest media for giving me billions of dollars worth of free airtime to broadcast my Trump for President campaign. It was really nice of you to repeat my name so much (“repetition builds reputation,” as we marketers like to say).

This airtime was made even more valuable precisely because you played along with my plan and kept talking only about the crazy things I was saying without demanding my tax returns or offering voters any detailed analysis of my ties to Russia, debts to foreign countries, massive conflicts of interest, or how my policies would make things so much worse for 99% of the population.

Thanks, too, for not dwelling on what Mike Pence actually thinks of women and the gays. (People would have really freaked out!)

All this media coverage of how ridiculously unacceptable I was only reinforced my reputation as a “truth-teller” with my target audience, which I define as people who view “expertise,” “qualifications” and “minorities” with a healthy dose of suspicion!

People tell me I still lost the popular vote to a girl and got less votes than Mitt Romney, but that doesn’t matter. Right now I feel like the biggest winner ever! It’s a feeling I’ve only felt six times before, right before each of my bankruptcy filings.

I’d like to also thank the GOP, ALEC and the Koch Brothers for the multi-year investment you made in rigging the system to ensure the triumph of my will. Specifically, the passage of Citizens United, your unprecedented gerrymandering to ensure losing the popular vote wouldn’t cost Republicans control of the House in 2012 and, of course, the terrific new voter suppression laws that made all the difference this year in states from North Carolina to Wisconsin.

Finally, I’d like to thank all the voters who invested all of their hopes and dreams in me despite Little Marco’s warning I’m a con artist, Lying Ted’s claim I’m a pathological liar, and Speaker Ryan’s acknowledgment that I’m a textbook racist.

One of the hallmarks of the Trump brand is I’ve always been terrific at making people buy what I’m selling at least once. Usually, I make a big promise, collect the cash, and skip town as fast as possible. It worked with Trump Steaks, Trump Airlines, Trump Vodka, Trump Ice, Trump Magazine, Tour de Trump and Trump University. I’m just happy to know that even scamming so many war widows, single moms and seniors out of thousands of dollars at a fake University wasn’t enough to stop so many of you from voting for me. And this time, you’re stuck with me for four whole years!

The Not So Secret Path to Greatness - John Maxwell

The young girl skipped onto the stage of the dilapidated, half-filled theater hall, her thin voice competing with the noise of an unruly audience. Midway through the first verse of her first song, a beer bottle smashed onto the floor just a yard or so in front of her. The child’s voice quaked momentarily, but she continued to sing. “The show must go on” mentality had already been ingrained in her. As she neared the end of the musical number, the girl struggled to find enough breath to finish her performance. The smoke-filled air reeked of cigarettes and made it especially hard to sing. The girl missed a couple of notes as the song ended, curtsied, and then made her exit to a mixture of applause and boos.

When we think of Academy-Award winner Julie Andrews, we picture her twirling, arms outstretched against the beautiful backdrop of the Austrian Alps—melodiously singing the opening stanzas of The Sound of Music. Whether as Maria Von Trapp or Mary Poppins, Andrews sings and acts so effortlessly that it’s tempting to assume that she was born a star. It’s easy to overlook her humble beginnings, the years she spent as a child touring with vaudeville troupes, performing in seedy auditoriums in front of rowdy, working-class crowds in Britain.

We imagine ultra-successful individuals being endowed with almost superhuman talents. In so doing, we surround greatness with a certain kind of mystique and deem it somewhat inaccessible to the average person. However, success is not contingent on having extraordinary, innate ability. Nor does greatness depend upon some mysterious approach to life. There are no secrets to success—only simple truths, principles, and disciplines that have been around for thousands of years. Sadly, we obscure the reality of success by making a number of misjudgments about it.

The Overestimated/Underestimated Realities of Success

(1) We overestimate the person & we underestimate the principles.

Julie Andrews suffered a mid-career swoon during which a number of her movies flopped. However, she rebounded to win a Golden Globe in 1982. As she remarks, “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.”

Most recently, throat surgery deprived Andrews of the ability to sing. Undaunted, she moved on to other pursuits, and has become a successful author of children’s books. When asked about no longer being able to sing, Andrews is fond of quoting a line from The Sound of Music, “When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.”

The point is that Julie Andrews’ stardom cannot be attributed solely, or even primarily, to her charming personality. Rather, she has been aided by her determined perseverance and her irrepressible positive attitude—principles that can be applied by anyone.

(2) We overestimate the luck & we underestimate the work.

We talk about someone’s career taking off after making “a big break.” Usually, however, the big break was preceded by years of dedicated practice. “I've never minded being disciplined,” says Julie Andrews. “I'd always rather have a quiet evening in than go to a wild party. Discipline for me has always been the foundation which leaves me free to fly.”

(3) We overestimate the skill & we underestimate the stamina.

Julie Andrews’ voice propelled her to stardom, but in her words, “singing has never been particularly easy for me.” She was not blessed with such immense vocal prowess that she could bypass intensive practice sessions throughout her career. "As my mother said, I never sprang out of bed with a glad shout. My voice needed oiling and then it took off.”

Thought to Ponder

What quality do you tend to overestimate in your personal outlook toward success? Why do you think this is the case?

What element of success deserves closer attention from you? How would prioritizing it benefit you personally and/or professionally?