MAXIMIZING LIFE PRINCIPLES
When you hold the key to a door, you don’t knock. All this praying and shaking your head like a catfish—why? It’s because there’s nothing inside your head. Those who know something don’t just shake and pray; they think, and then God will speak to them. Do you have epilepsy? Falling down, breaking chairs—every day you fall, every time a guest speaker comes, you fall. What is wrong with you?
You see, I went to speak to one class at my old school, Government College UG, and I saw all kinds of people. We had those who played football for the Super Eagles in that class. We had lawyers, doctors, all kinds of people. But occasionally, you’d see someone from the same class, the same region, the same school, with the same opportunities, who hasn’t maximized their life. It’s usually a very, very pathetic sight. So, I want to give you the principles to maximize your life.
Number one: Rules: There are rules of engagement. If I watch American football, they run and run and dive. I don’t understand what they’re doing, so I don’t enjoy the game. I’ll just be spending time watching hefty men running. If I watch rugby, I don’t understand what they’re doing with that big post that looks like a giant “H.” I don’t understand why people start running and dive into each other. But if they’re playing cricket in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or the West Indies, I enjoy it because I understand the rules of cricket. The rules you don’t know, you can’t apply. So every activity in life has rules and regulations. Once you understand them, you can do well. Even on social media, there are rules and regulations on how to get results. Once you know the principles, then you get results.
Number two: Principles: You must apply principles. You must apply the Pareto Principle: 80% of your efforts bring 20% of your results, and 20% of your efforts bring 80% of your results. If you focus on the 20% of your efforts that give you 80% of your results, you’ll find that you’re spending fewer resources and energy while generating more revenue and results. You must know these rules. You must know Parkinson’s Law of Expenditure: the more money you make, the more you will spend. You must know Parkinson’s Law of Frivolity: when you go to a meeting, 90% of the energy is spent discussing trivial matters. The people who know the solutions to the problems hardly talk, and when they do, they just say one or two things, and the problems are solved. There’s also the Principle of Work Expansion: any work you have to do will expand to fill the time you give it. These are key principles you must learn. If you don’t know them, life becomes difficult.
The next thing that will shock you, apart from the rules you know and apply, is the rules you break. I just told you about Parkinson’s Law of Expenditure: the more money you make, the more you tend to spend. But if you break this law and reverse it so that the more money you make, the less you spend, you’ll discover that you will be rich. So, there are some rules you break, and there are some rules that, if you disobey them, will lead to success.
I’m your friend, Dr. Charles Apoki.
