They say you are what you eat. I guess that explains the concern over genetically-modified food. What do you think? Is all the fuss justified when millions of people are dying of starvation? Or is this another one of those things that simply should not be tampered with, not matter what?

(Eugene Yiga is the editor of Varsity Blah and his latest book is available free, exclusively from www.varsityblah.com/about)

“You don’t overcome challenges by making them smaller but by making yourself bigger.” – John C. Maxwell

Two weeks ago, I posted the first part of a review on The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (also available in South Africa). In this post, I will outline the first three habits as they relate to the private victory:

Be proactive. This is all about understanding that you are in charge of your life. You are the “programmer” and should take initiative to bring about whatever change you seek. Many of us tend to point the finger at other people and blame outside circumstances for the way our lives are. How wrong! We are not products of genetic, psychic, or environmental determinism. We are not reactive beings held victim to an increasingly random world. We are in always in charge and we are always in control. We need to start blaming ourselves.

This is because actual events don’t affect us; it is our interpretation of and responses to those events. Every time something happens to us (stimulus) there is a gap in which we can choose our behaviour. This is where our power lies. It means that nothing can hurt us unless we allow it to. It means we can choose our emotional responses and change how we feel. The more we focus on the circle of influence (the things we have control over) and ignore the circle of concern (the things outside of our hands) the more our strength will grow.

Begin with the end in mind. This is about using our personal power and initiative to “write the programme” of our life. It’s about understanding that all things are created twice: first in thought (mentally) and then in action (physically). Decide who you want to be and how you want to live. Create a compelling vision for your life and fill it with values, direction, and purpose. A personal mission statement, value system, or blueprint will offer the mental image of where you want to be and will act as a guide for you day by day.

Do not feel limited by your memories and past. Instead, choose to tie yourself to your imagination and future. We all have the potential to be, do, and have anything we want. Once you have something to work toward, focus on it everyday. Regularly imprint this on your heart and soul through daily visualisation and affirmation. A suggestion from Anthony Robbins is to visualise your goal as though you already had it and were grateful for it. Another is to do your affirmations and incantations out loud to engage your entire body.

Put first things first. This is about finally implementing the action plan and “running the programme” of your life. It’s about planning and executing according to our deepest priorities. Most of us tend to get caught up putting out fires. We’re so distracted by all the urgent crises that we rarely make time for what’s really important.

While it may be tough, changing is not impossible. It requires discipline and personal management to become focused on priorities. Learn to say no to what is not important and learn to delegate non-essential tasks when someone else can help you out. Living life based on what is urgent instead of what is important will ultimately lead to disappointment and failure. Nobody wants that.

(For more resources and tips, download your free copy of “Work in Progress” exclusively from www.varsityblah.com/about)

“There’s so much pollution in the air now that if it weren’t for our lungs there’d be no place to put it all.” – Robert Orben

One of the greatest challenges facing our society today is climate change. Al Gore brought the issue to our attention through An Inconvenient Truth. (The Nobel Prize helped too.) But there’s still a long way to go and many policies need to be reworked. What do you think needs to be done to address the problem? Is it about governments taking the lead or individuals like you and me doing what we can?

(Eugene Yiga is the editor of Varsity Blah and his latest book is available free, exclusively from www.varsityblah.com/about)