Nkem Mpamah thought he was originally cut-out for endless struggle with nothing to show for his effort until he discovered that many people are languishing in similar pain and disappointment from inability to live life on their own terms. In The ART of Achievement and Fulfillment Nkem gives you the codes that will literarily take you from where you are now, to where you desire to be. Whether you’re starting a new career or business, or feel overwhelmed and looking for a change; whatever that moment is for you, the principles he share in this book will transform you! In This Book You will learn: Decisions and Destiny - Proven Ways to Make Life-Changing Decisions Values and Beliefs – The art of living life on Your Own Terms Step-by-Step Guide to Set and Achieve Audacious Goals Time and Life Management - The Psychology of achieving More in Less Time The Art of Influencing Others Through Transformational Leadership Focusing on these fundamentals, Nkem breaks each code down to simple understandable action items, and offers numerous tools and strategies, which you can use to live life on your own terms if you put them into practice. Success is good, and achievement brings happiness, but fulfillment is about touching lives. This book will teach you how.

The ART of Achievement and Fulfillment

The Fundamental Principles to Overcome Obstacles and Turn Dreams into Reality!By NKEM MPAMAH

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2013 Nkem Mpamah
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-6570-5

Contents

About the Author...........................................................xiiiIntroduction...............................................................xvPart 1: Decisions and Destiny..............................................1Chapter 1: Be a Good Decision Maker........................................3Chapter 2: Believe in Yourself.............................................35Chapter 3: Set Realistic Goals.............................................51Chapter 4: Focus on the Important Things...................................69Chapter 5: Discover Your Abilities.........................................87Chapter 6: Develop New Skills..............................................99Part 2: Values and Beliefs.................................................113Chapter 7: Understand Your Values and Beliefs..............................115Chapter 8: The "You" Factor................................................135Part 3: Time and Life Management...........................................155Chapter 9: The Art of Achieving More in Less Time..........................157Chapter 10: The Principles of Time and Life Management.....................171Chapter 11: How to Achieve More in Less Time...............................183Part 4: Transformational Leadership........................................201Chapter 12: Leadership and Management Explained............................203Chapter 13: The Challenges of Leadership...................................209Chapter 14: How to Become a Transformational Leader........................213

Chapter One

Be a Good Decision Maker

"At any moment, the decision you make can change the course of your life forever." – Anthony Robbins

Every human being has the innate ability to make a choice. Choices are the decisions we make every day about the things we want to be, have, or do. They can be good or bad, and to a large extent they determine our actions and successes. Decisions are important to life, and it's practically impossible for anybody or organization to survive a day without making one form of decision or another. Our choices range from the simple—what to eat or drink, the type of dress to wear—to the more complex, such as what sort of work to do.

Decision-making is self-fulfilling and can result in either the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the decision maker. A good decision resolves an issue, but a bad decision leads to making more decisions to correct the error in the earlier decision.

Whenever you make a decision and follow through with action, you'll enjoy a feeling of confidence and responsibility. You'll feel in control and satisfied with the choice you have made. These feelings help to stimulate your passion to do more and achieve more.

Many people fail in their careers, business and relationship, and others get stuck because of their inability to make quality decisions. Some have suffered many negative consequences arising from wrong decisions, while others have recorded new levels of success as a result of making good and timely decisions.

Sometimes, people wonder why they are not making significant progress in their lives. They cite examples of other people—perhaps their friends, colleagues and relatives—who are making more progress than they, yet they shy away from making decisions about moving their own lives forward. They are unaware of the principle that our individual performances and personal achievements depend on the quality of decisions we make about ourselves. This is because it's our responsibility to make decisions on how to lead our lives successfully and prosper in the things we are committed to do.

Decision-making is a way of life. It affects human existence and is important in determining how successful you can be. Good decisions shape our lives; they bring happiness, fulfillment, and a sense of endorsement of our self-esteem.

Your ability to solve your own problems and the problems of those around you depends very much on your determination to make quality decisions and follow through on them. This is why most employers prefer to work with employees with great decision-making capabilities. It increases productivity and leads to the promotion of such employees.

When I was younger, I thought I needed to attain a certain age and position before I could make significant decisions. As I began to grow up, I discovered that decision-making is a part of everyday life, regardless of age or class. In the early years of my childhood, my parents made most of my decisions for me. They decided on the appropriate time for me to start school and what friends to play with. Being poor, my parents chose the college I attended, selecting a vocational school with an affordable tuition rather than a more expensive secondary school. Their intention was for me to study typing and shorthand; I would guess that they were molding me towards secretarial work.

A few years prior to the completion of my vocational studies, my parents made another decision and enrolled me in a Christian preparatory class, after which I was baptized.

Until I matured and became responsible for myself, that was the pattern of my life. In retrospect I would say that most of my parents' decisions made a positive impact on my life. I love my parents and have never questioned their judgment, save once—when I wanted to get married. Guess what? As usual, my father wanted to choose a wife for me. As much as I loved and respected my parents, I disagreed with them on this and it took much communication, explanation, and assertiveness on my part for my father to concede that it was up to me to make the decision about whom I should marry.

Being my hero, although not educated, my father is endowed with natural wisdom, foresight, and the ability to communicate and lead very effectively. As I write this book, my father is about ninety-one years old, still strong, and going to the farm without any form of support.

I'm grateful to say that my father helped to mold my life by the right choices he made on my behalf during my early years. But it frightens me now to think of what my life would have become if those decisions were made wrongly. This experience taught me two lessons:

Lesson One: Decisions can be imposed on you without your consent.

Lesson Two: If you don't make a decision to lead your life in a particular way, Lesson One will go into effect and someone else will make decisions on your behalf.

Many people struggle because they follow other people's decisions. They do not have a goal for their lives and are not executing any action plan towards achieving the things they desire. They thoughtlessly put their lives at risk by placing themselves in the hands of others.

This in itself is a decision—and a bad one.

Quality decisions are critical to the well being of both individuals and organizations. They go a long way in determining the survival of those individuals or organizations in times of competition. It's a paradigm that shifts the course of life and destiny. A person's ability to decide on one thing will usually lead to several fundamental outcomes that will invariably alter the thoughts, behavior, and performance of that person. In most cases, the decision of one person affects and alters the lives of the people around him or her, including family members, community, and...