Friendship Goals ?

Life is about association. Walking with the right people can be productive. The same way, your failure is sealed when you walk with foolish people who have no regard for God.Your relationship decisions are influenced by the choice of your friends. The people you know and you have access to in the days of challenges will determine whether that challenge will crush you or will be crushed by you. If you associate for long with a monkey, you will learn how to jump on trees. If you lie down with a dog, you will rise up with fleas.It is all about laws of connections and relationships.

Who is your friend? Your friend is the definition and description of your life. The future of your friend is the picture of your future. Watch the friends you have, friendship is by choice and not by force. Can you confidently introduce your friends to your parents or any of your relations your highly respect?
      Someone once said that your wisdom level is the level of wisdom of your circle of friends.Another person said that if you are the smartest among your friends, it is time to look for better friends because you are adding to them while you are gaining nothing. Friendship is an issue of life and so friendship decisions must not be subjected to sentiments. The Yoruba speaking community in Nigeria has a saying that goes thus '' show me your friend and i will tell you who you are''. They believe if your friend is promiscuous, you will eventually become one. If your friend is a go getter, you will eventually become one. The same way, if your friend is a gold digger, you will eventually become one.If friendships/association matter that much in life, here are few suggestions on how to choose right:

1. Choose friends who are go-getters: These people are serious about their goals and serious about their success. They don't treat life casually or waste time on frivolous pursuits. They take actions and get things done. If you consider yourself a go-getter, it is important you have friends who operate the way.
2. Choose friends who can bring balance in your areas of weakness: We all have strength and weaknesses-you know what yours are. With the right friends, you can tap into skills and abilities of those that have expertise in areas that you don't.
3. Choose friends that you share the same interest: Friends with similar interests simply makes life more fun. You can enjoy outings and activities together.
4. Choose friends that stretch, motivate and encourage you: choose friends that will not allow you sit in your comfort zone, rather choose the ones that will lift you up off your box, break the box, stretch, motivate and push you towards success even as he/she is moving along with you.

HE THAT WALKETH WITH THE WISE SHALL BE WISE: BUT A CAMPANION OF FOOLS SHALL BE DESTROYED.. Proverbs 13 verse 20

Values

A bar of steel was worth about $5 toward the close of the twentieth century. When the same steel of $5 was forged into horses, it was worth $10, when made into needles its value was up to $350, when used to make pocket knife blades,  its worth was $32,000, when made into springs for watches, its value increase to $250,000. Imagine the fire, pounding and bruises the steel had to go through to increase its worth from $5 to $250,000. Yet, the more it was shaped, hammered, beaten, pounded and polished, the greater its value.
             You are just like the $5 bar of steel and if you refuse to increase your value by consciously improving on your self and on your skills, you will be of the same value throughout your life. As we all know, any product or service that is not improved upon will be dumped and the ones that have been improved upon will be sought after by all because they have quality features and benefits that other do not have.
              You get paid for bringing value to the marketplace, and if you're not very valuable, you don't make much money.The burning question now is this; How do i make myself valuable?
               Here are five ways through which you can increase your value:

1. Develop Expertise: One simple way for an instant boost of your value as a professional is to develop specific expertise so that your industry recognizes you as an influencer.For example, as a traditional marketer, you can decide to up your game by acquiring digital marketing skills.This will greatly give you an edge.
2. Research Your Dream Jobs: For those that are unemployed or those that want to change career, understanding the responsibilities and requirements of your dream job will help you align your own skills, and understand what you need to bring to the table thereby increasing your value.
3. Be Active On The Three Major Social Media Platforms: Join facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn and ensure that you actively post, engage with others, build relationships and participate in online discussions, adding value with every post or response. While Facebook is a more entertainment-driven network, Twitter is simply perfect for growing into an influencer. You can post your own content, retweet things written by others and build a social presence that users respect. As you gained followers, you'll reach out to a wider audience and make yourself heard in your industry- effectively building a solid reputation. Linkedin is the most important professional network on the web.Being active here means not only setting up a nice profile but also joining groups and participating in discussions, sharing valuable insights and experiences with other professionals in your sector.
4. Find A Mentor: Identify a person who could become your mentor and help you see aspects of yourself that could be improved upon. Doing this will greatly increase your value.
5. Educate Yourself: Certifying your skills is always a good idea.Constantly educating yourself and updating your skills is a way of adding value to yourself.This could be completing a workshop/training or a full-time degree.

      
               

                          Realize that you earn income by providing value - not time- so find a way to provide your best value to others, and charge a fair price for it..... Steve Pavlina