kujishibisha maarifa Zaidi

Kadri siku zinavyokwenda,kuna haja ya kujishibisha maarafi Zaidi. Bila ya maarifa ya kutosha,utashi wa kufikiri na mikakati yenye ubunifu,ni ngumu sana kuhimili dunia yetu yenye ushindani wa hali ya juu sana.Maarifa,utashi wa kufikiri,ubunifu ni nguvu kubwa sana,kumbuka nguvu isiyo onekana ina nguvu zaidi kuliko nguvu inayo onekana.

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UWE SAUTI YAO, KAMA ANNA AIDAN ALIVYO SAUTI YAO

Mwaka juzi 13/12/2012, Niliandika Makala yenye kichwa “watoto wadogo wakifikia umri kama wetu wa kuitwa vijana,waone nini katika taifa hili?”,Makala hii inapatikana katika blog yangu,kama iliyvo ada ya blog yangu kuandika juu ya masuala ya msingi na habari za kuhamasisha(inspiration),na siyo zile habari za nani alikuwa na nani “week end” liyopita,nani alipendeza Zaidi ya mwenzeka,nadhani tunapaswa kujadili masuala ya msingi Zaidi juu ya maisha yetu sisi vijana,taifa letu bado ni maskini ingawa halikupaswa kuwa taifa maskini,hatma ya taifa hili ipo mikononi mwetu.

Moja ya maneno yaliyopo katika makala ile ni “Mimi na wewe tupo hapa leo hii,ili tulete mabadiliko yetu,ya taifa la leo na vizazi vijavyo katika taifa hili,hawa watoto wadogo,wanapaswa kuandaliwa misingi madhubuti na imara,itakayowawezesha wao kuja kuwa vijana makini, wasije wakafikia umri wa ujana,kisha wakasema taifa letu halina mpango madhubuti wa kuwa andaa vijana kukabiliana na changamoto za kimaisha.”.

Na hapo ndipo nitakapo anzia leo hii. Tarehe 14/7/2013,mida ya sa nane mchana na dakika zake,nikiwa mitaa ya posta,jijini Dar es salaam,nilikutana na rafiki yangu.anaitwa Anna Aidan,tulisalimiana naye kwa furaha,Anna ni rafiki yangu wa karibu,sote tulikuwa tunaelekea njia moja,hivyo tulipanda gari moja,hakukuwa na foleni sana siku hiyo,kwani ilikuwa ni siku ya jumapili.

Kama ilivyo ada ya marafiki wanapokutana,wata peana habari za hapa na pale na kuulizana juu ya kila mmoja juu ya maisha yake,na mipango aliyo nayo.Katika mazungumzo yetu,tulijikuta tunajadili juu ya watoto wanao ishi mitaani na wanao omba omba, katika ya jiji.

Anna alinieleza jinsi anayoumizwa na hali hiyo ya kuona watoto wadogo wakiteseka na maisha ya kuomba omba na pasipo kuijua kesho yao na hatma ya maisha yao. Alinieleza ya kwamba kuna baadhi ya watoto wanaomba omba,na kiuhalisia hawapendi kuomba.Na akatoa mawazo yake ya kwamba serikali ilipaswa iwe na kituo maalumu cha kuwatunza watoto hao na kuwapatia malezi bora.

Sio kwamba serikali ndiyo inapaswa kuwa muasisi wa kuwatunza watoto hao,bali  kila mmoja kwa nafasi yake anapaswa kuyaishi mabadiliko anayoyataka katika jamii.wakati tuna endelea na mazungumzo yetu,alinieleza jinsi ambavyo amekuwa akimsaidia mototo mmoja ambaye anaomba mitaa ya posta,alinieleza jinsi ambavyo amekuwa akimnunulia yule mototo chakula,na ata kuongea naye,ili apate kujua nini haswa chanzo cha yeye kuomba. Msaada wa Anna kwa huyo mototo hauishi hapo,lakini pia amefika mahali anampatia mtoto huyo fedha kwa ajili ya matibabu.

Na pindi mtoto huyo,anapopatiwa fedha,anakwenda hospitalini,na akirudi ana muonyesha Anna dawa alizopewa hospitalini.Anna ananimbia,mtoto huyo moja kwa moja inaonekana hana asili ya kuomba omba.

Kuna mamia ya watoto katika taifa letu,wanapitia maisha magumu na hakuna mtu wa kuwasikiliza,na wala hawajui nini maana ya upendo,na wanaona jamii imewatenga na wao siyo sehemu ya jamii.Kuna Ongezeko la watoto wa mitaani kadiri siku zinavyo songa mbele,na hakuna hatua madhubuti ambazo zimekuwa zikichukuliwa,na kiuhalisia hawapaswi kuitwa watoto wa mitaani,kwani mtaa haujawai kuzaa mtoto,kuna mtu kwenye jamii anakwepa wajibu wake,sitaki kuamini kabisa ya kwamba hao watoto wanakosa ndugu kabisa.

Anna,ameyaishi mabadiliko anayoyataka kuyaona katika taifa letu,na amekuwa sauti ya matumaini kwa huyo mtoto.Kuna somo la kujifunza hapa.Wewe ni nani katika jamii yetu?au unalalamika tu juu ya mambo yanavyokwenda kombo,mabadiliko hayatakuja kama wewe hutabadilika,MABADILIKO NI WEWE.

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MUSTAKABALI WETU

Na Baraka Daniel Kiranga(23).

Dar es Salaam

Tanzania

Kuna mambo mengi sana yanayotokea katika jamii yetu,na kila jambo lina sababu yake,na maana yake pindi linapotokea katika maisha yetu.Sisi kama vijana hatuna budi kujifunza katika hayo,tujifunze kutoka makosa ya kiungozi yanayotokea leo hii,tujifunze kutoka makosa ya kiutendaji yanapotokea leo hii,tujifunze kutoka matatizo ya kimaadili yanayozikumba nchi za Afrika ya mashariki na dunia kwa ujumla. Kwa nini natoa wito wa kujifunza katika makosa ya liyofanywa na watu wengine? Jibu pekee ni kutoruhusu matatizo hayo kujitokeze tena katika miaka ijayo, kwani tutakuwa tumepata utashi wa kuyazuia yasitokee au kukabiliana nayo pindi yanapotokea.Vijana tunapaswa kutambua ni sisi ndiyo tunaoamua mustakabali wa maisha yetu.

Yanayotokea leo hii,yana ashiria nini?yana ashiria ya kwamba Afrika Mashariki ipo kwenye mpito(Transion period),kuna mahali tunatoka na kuna mahali tuna kwenda,kuna mabadiliko ya kiuchumi yana yotokea katika nchi zetu za Afrika mashariki,Kuna mabadiliko ya kisiasa na kiungozi yanayotokea,kuna mabadiliko mengi yanatokea,katika hayo mabadiliko hatuna budi kujifunza na kutafakari kwa undani ili tujue nini maana ya mabadiliko hayo,na lipi tufanye kwa ajili ya mustakabali wa maisha yetu yajayo na vizazi vijavyo.

Tunapojifunza na kutafakari tuna kuwa katika nafasi nzuri ya kujipanga kimkakati kwa ajili ya kushughulika na matatizo sugu na masuala muhimu katika maendeleo ya watu wa ukanda wa Afrika mashariki,na tunapo anza kuongelea maendeleo ya watu,tunaongelea elimu yao,afya zao,miundo mbinu wanayotumia kila siku katika shughuli zao za maendeleo.

Sisi vijana leo tunajifunza yapi?Tungejibu vipi swali hilo kama tungeulizwa,au kila mmoja angekuwa na majibu yake?Je tunajua historia ya nchi zetu kabla na baada ya uhuru?Tunafahamu nini kuhusu uchumi wetu?nini haswa tuna itaji katika maisha yetu?

Kama kweli tuna taka uchumi wa nchi zetu ukue na kuwa uchumi imara,hatuna budi kujifunza Zaidi masuala ya uchumi,na kuwa wathubutu kwenye shughuli za kiuchumi na uzalishaji mali.Tukumbuke mustakabali wa Afrika Mashariki upo kwetu sisi vijana,tunapaswa kujifunza,tunapaswa kuwa wabunifu,na watendaji kwa ajili yetu na maendeleo ya nchi zetu.

Usipo wajibika wewe,nani mwingine awajibike,chukua hatua.Mwaka 2014 tunuie kujifunza na kutenda.

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Set one clear goal that really excites you

And nothing makes clear focus easier than to know exactly what you want. Set one clear goal that really excites you and write it down. Keeping it in front of you helps to keep your focus and to stay at it until it’s finished. Very important.

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KUWA SHUJAA WAKO MWENYEWE.

Huwa unaanza usiku kisha inafuata asubuhi,wakati wa usiku mtu anaweza akajikwaa kwa sababu ya kuto ona vizuri,lakini inapofika asubuhi mtu huweza kuona vizuri na kufanya shughuli zake kwa ufanisi zaidi,asubuhi mtu huwa ana nguvu zaidi,asubuhi ya kesho amua kuwa shujaa wako mwenyewe,mara nyingi sana tunapenda kuonana na baadhi ya watu fulani katika jamii yetu,tukiamini wao ni mashujaa na wana uwezo wa kitofauti,je ulisha wahi kutamani kuonana na wewe?na je ungefurahi ungeonana na wewe au ungekuwa rafiki na wewe?TAFAKARI.

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TUMIA MITANDAO YA KIJAMII KUJITENGENEZEA FURSA ZA MAENDELEO.

Mwaka 2011,nilipata kufuatilia kwa ukaribu kuhusu mitandao ya kijamii.Nilipata muda wa kuchambua mtandao mmoja baada ya mwingine,nilipaswa kufanya hivyo ili kubaini ni nani ni gwiji kati ya mitandao hiyo.Nilipata kujua tofauti kati ya mtandao mmoja na mwingine,na kwanini mtu utumie mtandao huu na usitumie mwingine.Na mwisho wa siku nilikuja kutambua ya kwamba Facebook ndiyo ulikuwa mtandao uliotengenezwa kwa ubunifu wa hali ya juu,na unaotoa huduma nyingi zaidi ukifana nisha na mitadano mingine,kama twitter, linked in ,my space na mitandao mingineyo.Uchunguzi huo ulinichukua muda,takribani mwezi mmoja. Kazi hii ilikuwa ni assignment yangu kwenye somo la Business information systems,nilipaswa kutafuta kampuni moja na kuifananisha na makampuni mengine,ili nipate kujua ninani kati yao ana competitive advantage.Uchaguzi wangu ulidondokea kwenye social networks.

Matumizi ya mitandao ya kijamii yamebadili maisha ya watu wengi sana,haswa namna ya upashanaji habari.Taarifa zimekuwa zikiwafikia watu wengi sana ndani ya muda mfupi,na vyanzo vya habari vimeongezeka,ukilinganisha na miaka ya nyuma,na hii ni changamoto kwa TCRA katika kudhibiti ubora na ukweli wa habari zinazowafikia mamia ya watu.

Kuongezeka kwa watumiaji wa mitandao ya kijamii,ni ishara tosha ya kwamba watanzania walio na uelewa juu ya matumizi ya internet unaongezeka,ni jambo jema hilo,ingawa tunapaswa kujiuliza maswali ya msingi,je watumiaji wa internet wanatumia kwa usahihi,na je tunatumia viwango(standards) vipi kuamua ya kwamba mtu huyu anatumia kwa usahihi na huyu hatumii kwa usahihi.Hayo yote tunapaswa kutafakari na kuchukua hatua.

Watumiaji wengi wa mitandao ya kijamii ni vijana na wengi wao hutumia mitandao ya kijamii kwa ajili ya kuchat,kupost picha ambazo hazina mantiki na nyingi ni picha ambazo zimekosa maadali. kitu ambacho kinawapotezea muda mwingi,na kuharibu fikra zao na kupunguza uwezo wao wa kujikita katika masuala ya msingi,matokeo yake tumekuwa na vijana wengi ambao hawajikita katika kujiletea maendeleo yao binafsi. Kuna fursa nyingi sana kwenye mitandao ya kijamii,iwapo tu mtumiaji ataamua kutumia mitandao ya kijamii kama sehemu ya kujitengenezea fursa.

Na ni wito wangu kwa vijana kutumia mitandao ya kijamii kwa ajili ya kujitengenezea fursa za maendeleo yao.Tusipoteze muda kwenye masuala ambayo si ya msingi pindi tunapokuwa internert bali tutumie muda wetu kwenye kujifunza na kudadisi masuala ya msingi yanayoweza kutufanya tuanze kujiletea maendeleo.

Makala hii imeandikwa

na Baraka Daniel Kiranga(23)

0762362413

baraka1990@gmail.com

www.barakadaniel.blogspot.com

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TUNA WAJIBU WA KUBADILI FIKRA ZETU

Makosa mengi tunayoyatenda ni matokeo ya fikra zetu,aidha tunatenda pasipo kufikiri au tunafikiri sana pasipo kutenda,na mwisho wake tunabaki kwenye maisha yale yale ya kila siku na tunafika mahali tunaridhika na matatizo tuliyonayo,tukiendelea hivi hatutafika,na hata tukifika tutafika mahali pa baya,kuna haja ya kubadilika sana,na dakika ya kubadilika ni sasa.

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I know you can

Every day gives you an opportunity to begin anew. No one is stuck with a particular character, personality or life circumstances. Yes, there are things we can't change but there are still a lot we have control over. For instance you may not be able to change the grades you had in school but you can choose today to be the best you can be in whatever career path you've chosen. You can take a lesson from Ben Carson who went from being the class dummy to the one people took the difficult questions to. You can also learn from Bill Gates who in a quote said about his friend, he passed all his exams and I didn't pass some of mine but today he is an engineer at Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft. He was trying to say that your past doesn't decide your future. Succeeding in life is all about your determination to be the best you can be. You don't have to stay stuck in a depressing narrative of your life. You can break the mould, reinvent yourself and reach for the stars to change your world. I know you can ...

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Do not give up,the beginning is always the hardest

“I'm not telling you it's going to be easy – I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.” Art Williams 

So often we think that the things that we want will fall into our laps. That if it’s difficult, we shouldn’t be doing it. That we don’t have to work at things.   And yes, there are synchronicities, things will often go right. The more you spend time looking inside, listen to your intuition and trust, the easier your journey will be. 
But it requires work too.   Read any successful person’s biography.   They didn’t sit back and watch everything come to them. They worked. Damn hard. They got the wind knocked out of them sometimes, they stumbled…BUT they go up and carried on.   And the reason they do that is because they have a vision. They’ve thought about what motivates them, they’ve delved into the details of what they want to bring about.   And they know, that the thing that they are working towards – it’s worth it.  So, there’s no question about the work. It’s worth it. 

That’s how I feel about my journey.
Yet, where I am now is completely worth it.   And, as I look ahead, I know that the steps that I need to take to get to the next phase of my life won’t necessarily be easy. But I’m in love with where I want to be, where I’m heading and I know it’ll be worth it. 

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hatuna budi kujitathmini na kuimarisha umoja wetu

“Taifa hili litaendelea iwapo tu tutakaa pamoja kama vijana,na kuanza kufiri kwa utashi,na kuanza kudhubutu kuleta maendeleo,tukigawanyika kamwe hatutafika popote,kama tu matatizo yanapokuja kutukabili huja kwa umoja na ndiyo maana tatizo la elimu bora si tatizo la kabila Fulani,au watu wadini Fulani,bali ni tatizo la kitaifa.hatuna budi kujitathmini na kuimarisha umoja wetu.”-Baraka Daniel Kiranga

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You are either growing or you are not

 Never Stop Learning – There are no positive, negative, or neutral ways to meet the need of growth. You are either growing or you are not. Everything in life is like the cycle of plants. Plants are always growing or they are dieing. If you are not growing as a person (to reach beyond your current understanding), then you are slowly dieing. The essence of all life, is growth. Everything in this world serves a purpose and if it does not serve, then it will eventual die and something else will grow in its place. All of nature runs on this circle. Growth is the essence of life itself. Without growth in a changing world, you will not succeed.

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TYVA is humbly inviting you to attend the Youth Constitutional Council

Dear TYVA Members,

TYVA is humbly inviting you to attend the Youth Constitutional Council to be held on Saturday 17th August 2013 at Peacock Hotel City Centre Mnazi Mmoja, Dar es Salaam from 08:00am to 4:00pm 

The main Goal of the Youth Constitutional Council is to facilitate the collection of youth views on the recently released first draft of constitution, towards the process of writing the new constitution of United Republic of Tanzania. 

TYVA will provide breakfast, Lunch Break and all refreshments during the conference. To show your commitment, TYVA request you to cover your own transport to and from the conference at Mnazi mmoja and we will NOT give any transport and sitting allowances to the participants.

Please confirm your participation by sending your Full name to Alfred Kiwuyo by Phone or Email before 14th August, 2013 for farther logistics arrangements. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us through the addresses below.

Looking forward to have you on 17th August, 2013

Alfred Kiwuyo,
Head, Lobbing, Advocacy and Networking (LAN)
akiwuyo@yahoo.ca
+255 713 618 388
Tanzania Youth Vision Association

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New Beginnings

New Beginnings

We all love to see miraculous transformations. Whether it’s a sports team that goes from worst to first in a single season, a life-saving surgery for a child, a person that loses hundreds of pounds, or even the amazing home make-overs on TV, that takes a home in much need of TLC, and literally transforms it into a beautiful mansion — we all love the ending outcome of miraculous transformations.
Anytime we want to have a change though, especially one that will make our lives better, it requires us to believe that it can happen. We have to make a choice to have hope.

• Most of us have found ourselves in a place where we were on the edge of loosing something very precious to seemingly everything.
• Whether you’ve lost your job, your mortgage is in risk of foreclosure, your relationships are struggling, or you or a loved one needs healing, I want to encourage you to never give up!

It all begins with a choice; the choice to never give up. God always completes in us what He has started; His good work and good plan. (Phillippians 1:6).
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
I love the story of a man named Ira. His story is the perfect example of what happens when you never give up. By the time he was 12, both of his parents had died. He and his brothers had no choice but to take care of themselves. So they got jobs working at a ranch.
Through hard work and refusing to give up, Ira eventually got married and saved enough to buy a small ranch of his own. He kept dreaming, staying focused and making good decisions.
He bought a small grocery store, which turned into a big success. But he didn’t stop there either — he then sold the store to purchase a large 20,000 acre ranch in West Texas.
Not long after this big move, the Great Depression hit with full force and Ira fell behind on his payments. The bank threatened to foreclose and take away everything he’d worked so hard for through the years. At the last moment, just days before Ira lost everything, massive reservoirs of oil were discovered on his ranch!
Instead of losing everything, Ira received more than enough resources to bless his entire family and many more throughout his area. He provided jobs for people in need, built schools, children’s homes, Boy Scout camps, Salvation Army centers and developed a town that still exists today.
I love this story because his life was suddenly transformed.
Now I’m not saying that you’re going to find oil on your property or instantly become a millionaire! But what I am saying is that no matter how dark things look, God can turn things around in a single moment.
We all just enjoyed the changing of seasons, from winter to spring. Spring symbolizes new birth, a fresh start. No matter how cold and harsh your winter might have seemed, or even been, I want to encourage you to see your new fresh start in God. This spring, let this truth take root in your heart and mind: In a single moment, God can make all things new for you.
It all starts with your mind and attitude. Even if you don’t physically see this change right now, God can transform your heart and thinking, giving you peace that the world can’t give you. It’s a sustaining peace. It’s hope. Hope carries you through as you wait for your completing moment.
Ephesians 1:19–20 says: “I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead...” (NLT) Think about it! The Bible says that God gives the same power that raised Jesus from the dead to those who believe Him.
He triumphed over every force of darkness, disease and destruction. And He’s promised to give this same victory to everyone who puts their trust in Him!
God’s incredible power is available for you, but you have to do your part and believe in Him and by faith, receive what He is offering and persevere in your hope!
When you face challenges and tough times, do you focus on the negative and begin to complain about how unfairly you are being treated? When you give in to those thoughts, you stop the transformation process.
When you are filled with doubt and unbelief, God’s miracle for you is put on hold. And it stays on hold until you begin to walk again in obedience and put your complete trust in Him.
When you stay positive, full of hope, and do not give up on God, He can take any situation in your life, any circumstance, regardless of the economy or what the world might say, and turn things around in a single moment for your benefit. Your life can change in a moment just like Ira’s and just like the disciples — who went from being alone and afraid to boldly proclaiming the message of Christ to every nation, making an impact on the entire world!
2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “...anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (NLT)
No matter what you are facing today, I want to encourage you...
When you decide to not give up and put your whole trust in Christ, you pave the way for greater things to happen for you, in you and through you!
We are all hearing the negative reports about the current economic conditions; I hear them too. But in order for us to overcome these challenges, it’s important to know what God’s Word says about it.
His Word promises us in Philippians 4:19: “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (AMP). God promises us that He is able to meet every need.
Remember, no matter what challenges you’re facing, God will make all things new in your life!
But it’s up to you and your choice! Keep choosing to stay in hope, believing for God to make things new, in His time. Remember, if we don’t give up, in due time we will be richly rewarded!

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GOOD MORNING TANZANIA

If you want to be free,you must be willing to challenge all definations of your masculinity.You have to be willing to confront issues that other men run from.Freedom only comes when you challenge yourself,when you open up and say things to yourself that you might not have admited to your wife,to your friends,or to your parents.it is time to confront old issues.

the issues are enemies of your soul,if any thing takes you back,it will be the enemy within.

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What Is A True Leader?

Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration motivated by a passion, generate by a vision, produced by a conviction, ignited by a purpose.

Peter F. Drucker, one of our generation's foremost thinkers and authorities on the subject of leadership and management, stated, "There may be "born leaders,' but there are surely far too few to depend on them. Leadership must be learned and can be learned..... 'leadership personality,' 'leadership style,' and 'leadership traits' do not exist."

Leadership Is More Than Influence

A popular definition of leadership is that "leadership is influence." In spite of the fact the leadership does involve the component of influence, I believe that this is an incomplete description because it does not distinguish what kind of influence or the source or cause of that influence.

True Leadership Is Marked By Others' Willful Submission Of Their Authority To Yours.

There are many people, past and present, who have influenced others using threats and violence, but we don't call that true leadership. We call it manipulation, oppression, or dictatorship. Nero, hitler, and Idi Amin were all influential. They exerted their wills over people, but they were not leaders in the true sense.

A Working Definition Of Leadership

True leadership fundamentally requires the responsibility of taking follower into the exciting unknown and creating a new reality for them.  This definition incorporates the principal ingredients and components that I believe give birth to and sustain true leadership and can be applied by anyone who desires to discover and release the hidden leader within.

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To Stay Focused in Life

To Stay Focused in Life:

You can't know everyone
You can't do everything
You can't go everywhere

We have to pick and choose between good and a little bit better.

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YOU CAN LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE NOW,BY JOEL OSTEEN

Don’t Be Limited By a Lack of Faith

A woman shopping in Houston happily hummed a tune as she collected the items she wished to purchase and approached the cashier. The clerk just stared at her for a long moment, as though wondering what was wrong with her, offering an obligatory, “How are you doing today?”
That’s all it took. The woman nearly bubbled over. “How nice of you to ask! I’m doing great. I am so blessed!”
The clerk looked at the woman quizzically for a moment and then said, “Let me ask you a question. Do you go to Lakewood Church?”
“Why, yes I do. How did you guess?”
The clerk shook her head and smiled, “I should have known. Everybody that comes in here like you is from Lakewood.”
What a great compliment! That’s the way it should be. God’s people should be the happiest people on earth. So happy, in fact, that other people notice. Why? Because we not only have a fabulous future, we can enjoy life today!
Living your best life now means being excited about the life God has given you. It means believing for more good things in the days ahead, while living in the moment and enjoying it to the hilt.
Too often, we get comfortable with where we are in life and use that as an excuse to remain in mediocrity. “My parents were poor,” we say with a pout. “Before them, my grandparents were poor. Nobody in my family has ever amounted to much, so I guess I won’t either.”
Don’t believe that lie. My dad came from the poorest of families. His parents were cotton farmers, and they lost everything in the Great Depression. My grandmother worked 14 to 15 hours a day washing people’s clothes, earning 10 cents an hour.
They were good people, but nobody in our family line had ever amounted to much, living instead under a curse of poverty and defeat. Then one day, at age 17, my dad committed his life to Christ, and God put a dream in his heart to preach.
Certainly, the odds were against him. But God is not limited by our environment, family background or present circumstances. God is limited only by our lack of faith.
I’m so thankful that Daddy didn’t listen to all the naysayers. He believed that God had more in store for him than staying home and picking cotton. And because he stayed focused on his dream and was willing to step out in faith, he broke that curse of poverty. Now, my siblings and I, and our children, grandchildren, even our great-grandchildren, are all going to experience more of the goodness of God.
Let me challenge you to believe for more. Don’t travel the road for the next 50 years and be at the same place you’re at today.
Maybe you came from a family like my dad’s, where they didn’t have much. Perhaps you hail from a long line of divorce, failure, depression or mediocrity. You need to say, “Enough is enough. I’m going to start believing God for bigger and better things.”
That was the attitude of Phyllis, one of our members at Lakewood. When Phyllis was 16 years old, she got pregnant and had to leave high school. Her dreams were shattered. She rented a cramped, small apartment in which to live and raise her son, eventually going on welfare.
But finally Phyllis said, “I refuse to pass this lifestyle down to my children. I’m going to be the person God wants me to be.” She got rid of all thoughts of defeat and failure and started expecting the supernatural favor of God. She did her part, and God did His.
Phyllis got a job at a school cafeteria collecting kids’ meal tickets. The job paid minimum wage, and Phyllis was thankful for it. But she wasn’t satisfied, believing that God had better things in store. She went back to school for her high-school diploma. But still, she wasn’t satisfied.
So, after working all day, she began attending college at night. In four years, she graduated with honors, then returned for her master’s degree.
Today, Phyllis is reaping the rewards of that effort. She’s not on welfare anymore; she is a principal in that same school district where she used to collect the meal tickets. She, too, broke the curse of poverty in her family.
You can do something similar. Dream bigger dreams. God wants to do more than you can even ask or think. Start living your best life now!
“Yes, but Joel, it’s been a rough year. I’ve gone through so many disappointments. I’ve lost a lot of good things.”
Maybe so, but have you considered this: If it were not for the goodness of God, you might have lost it all. Why not be grateful for what you have? Quit looking at what’s wrong and start thanking God for what’s right. Get up each day expecting God’s favor.
This could be the day you get your miracle. The day you meet the person of your dreams. The day your child returns home. That’s how you stay enthusiastic, even in tough time: You stay filled with hope.
“What if I do all that and nothing happens?” I hear you saying. “I’ll go to bed all discouraged, another disappointment.”
No, you can go to bed saying, God, even though it didn’t happen today, I’m still believing for good things in my life, knowing that I’m one day closer to a breakthrough.
Friend, no matter what you’ve been through, no matter whose fault it was, no matter how impossible your situation may look, the good news is that God wants to turn it around and restore what has been stolen from you. Most of all, He wants to restore your relationship with Him.
God doesn’t want you simply to feel a little better for a few days. No, God is in the long-term restoration business. He doesn’t want you simply to survive that marriage. He wants to turn it around and restore to you a strong, healthy relationship. God doesn’t want your business to merely make it through the murky economic waters. He wants your business to excel!
Start expecting things to change in your favor. It’s your faith that activates the power of God. Remember, if you obey God and are willing to trust Him, you will have the best this life has to offer — and more. You can start living your best life now.

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JOEL OSTEEN BIOGRAPHY

Joel Osteen is currently the pastor of America's largest church, Lakewood Church, located in Houston, Texas. Joel was born to John Osteen, who with his wife Dodie founded Lakewood Church on Mother's Day 1959. Although the church began with a small number of people, it was never small in its vision to reach the world with the gospel. Today, pastor Joel Osteen continues to pursue the large vision the church has always had through pastoring the nearly 30,000 regular attendees at Lakewood, preaching to hundreds of millions throughout the world through television, supporting hundreds of missionaries throughout the world, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and holding widely attended meetings through Joel Osteen Ministries.
Joel Osteen is the youngest of four children. He has an older brother, Paul, and two older sisters, Lisa and April. After graduating from high school, Joel Osteen attended Oral Roberts University. However, after his first semester he moved back to Houston. In Houston, he soon discovered what would occupy his time for the next 17 years, working side by side with his father on Lakewood's television ministry. Through the help of Joel Osteen, the television ministry grew dramatically and reached millions. However, in 1999 John Osteen died, leaving Lakewood without its founding pastor.
With the founding pastor gone, many wondered how Lakewood church and its successful television ministry would continue. On October 3, 1999, Joel Osteen became the pastor of Lakewood. Under pastor Joel Osteen's direction, the whole concept of church has changed. Through the slogan "Discovering the Champion in You" and an emphasis on a loving God with a positive message of hope, restoration, and healing, Joel Osteen has seen dramatic spiritual and numeric growth in Lakewood. The church has had to add three services and is still quickly outgrowing its 7,800 seat sanctuary.
To accommodate the incredible growth in attendance, in late 2003, Joel Osteen and Lakewood leased the Compaq Center (former home of the Houston Rockets basketball team) for over 10 million dollars. The building, which is located on one of the busiest intersections in America and seats over 16,000 people, underwent 95+ million dollars of renovations to become the Lakewood International Center which opened July 16, 2005.
In addition to Lakewood's growth and incredible spiritual impact on the city of Houston, Joel Osteen's television ministry has also experienced exponential growth. Joel's television program is available to over 225 million people in America alone, and that number is regularly increasing. As a response to Joel Osten's incredible growth and popularity, in July 2004, Joel Osteen Ministries began traveling to cities across America and holding "An Evening With Joel Osteen." As the Joel Osteen tour has swept across America, he has again presented the message of love, hope, and encouragement found in Jesus Christ.
Thousands have accepted Christ as Savior and thousands more have recommitted their lives to Christ as a result of "An Evening With Joel Osteen." Even more impressive is the fact that in 2003 alone, over 18,000 people walked down the isles of Lakewood to publicly accept Christ as Savior or rededicated their lives to Christ.
Joel Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now, was released in late 2004 and contains seven steps to living at your full potential.

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Biography for Barack Obama

Date of Birth

4 August 1961, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Birth Name

Barack Hussein Obama II

Nickname

Barry
Bama
Rock
The One
No Drama Obama

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Barack Obama was born to a white American mother, Ann Dunham, and a black Kenyan father,Barack Obama Sr., who were both young college students at the University of Hawaii. When his father left for Harvard, she and Barack stayed behind, and his father ultimately returned alone to Kenya, where he worked as a government economist. Barack's mother remarried an Indonesian oil manager and moved to Jakarta when Barack was six. He later recounted Indonesia as simultaneously lush and a harrowing exposure to tropical poverty. He returned to Hawaii, where he was brought up largely by his grandparents. The family lived in a small apartment - his grandfather was a furniture salesman and an unsuccessful insurance agent and his grandmother worked in a bank - but Barack managed to get into Punahou School, Hawaii's top prep academy. His father wrote to him regularly but, though he traveled around the world on official business for Kenya, he visited only once, when Barack was ten.

Obama attended Columbia University, but found New York's racial tension inescapable. He became a community organizer for a small Chicago church-based group for three years, helping poor South Side residents cope with a wave of plant closings. He then attended Harvard Law School, and in 1990 became the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. He turned down a prestigious judicial clerkship, choosing instead to practice civil-rights law back in Chicago, representing victims of housing and employment discrimination and working on voting-rights legislation. He also began teaching at the University of Chicago Law School, and married Michelle Robinson, a fellow attorney. Eventually he was elected to the Illinois state senate, where his district included both Hyde Park and some of the poorest ghettos on the South Side.

In 2004 Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, representing Illinois, and he gained national attention by giving a rousing and well-received keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. In 2008 he ran for President, and despite having only four years of national political experience, he won. In January 2009, he was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, and the first African-American ever elected to that position. Obama was reelected to a second term in November 2012.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Michelle Obama

(3 October 1992 - present) 2 children

Trivia

His first name comes from the word that means "blessed by God" in Arabic.
In the Kenyan town where his father was born, the long-brewed "Senator" brand of beer has been nicknamed "Obama."
U.S. Senator from Illinois since 3 January 2005.
Won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word for the CD version of his autobiography "Dreams From My Father" (2006).
Lived in Hyde Park in Chicago.
On "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993), he revealed that President George W. Bush nicknamed him "Bama" and "Rock".
The movie he saw on his first date with Michelle Obama was Do the Right Thing (1989).
Related to Park Overall.
Has two daughters, Malia Obama (born in 1998) and Sasha Obama (born in 2001).
Candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 US presidential election.
Several celebrities including; Halle Berry, George Clooney, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Topher Grace, Macy Gray, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Hayden Panettiere, Zachary Quinto, Eddie Murphy and John Cleese support his 2008 presidential campaign. Robert De Niro gave his endorsement at the same rally where Barack was endorsed by Caroline and Ted Kennedy.
Enjoys playing basketball and poker.
At his wife's suggestion, he quit smoking before his campaign to win the Democratic nomination began.
His paternal relatives still live in Kenya.
Confessed teenage drug experiences in his memoirs "Dreams from My Father".
One of his ancestors was Mareen Duvall, also an ancestor of actor Robert Duvall.
Shares his surname with a small city in western Japan, which means "small shore" in Japanese.
Plays basketball.
Born to Barack Obama Sr. (1936-1982) and Ann Dunham (1942-1995) married from 1961 to 1965.
Named one of Time magazine's "100 most influential people in the world" list in 2005 and 2007.
Chosen as one of "10 people would change the world" by New Statesman magazine (2005).
Won his second Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for "The Audacity of Hope" (2008).
On June 3, 2008 he won the Montana primary election giving him enough delegates to become the first Black American presidential candidate to win a major political party's presumptive nomination for the office of President of the United States.
Is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan.
More than 215,000 people attended his speech in Berlin on 24 July 2008.
Has one half-sister, Maya, born to his mother and stepfather in 1970.
Has his look-alike puppet in the French show "Les guignols de l'info" (1988).
Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham died Sunday November 2, 2008 in the early evening in Honolulu from cancer. She was 86.
Is the first African-American man to be elected President of the United States (November 2008).
When elected President, he won the battleground states of Florida, Virginia and Colorado - all of which had voted Republican in 2004.
Is the first American president to be born in Hawaii.
Was the 27th lawyer to be elected American president.
Was elected to be the 44th president of the Unites States of America on 4 November, 2008.
As a child growing up in Hawaii, his classmates knew him as Barry.
Presidential campaign slogan: "Change we can believe in".
Is primarily of Kenyan and English ancestry.
Favorite movies are Casablanca (1942), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The Godfather (1972), and The Godfather: Part II (1974).
Is a fan of "The Wire" (2002).
First ever US President to address a Muslim community at an inaugural speech.
Shares the same birthday as long-time White House correspondent and journalism legend, Helen Thomas. On her 89th birthday (and his 48th), they celebrated by blowing birthday cupcakes together in front of the press corps.
First United States Senator to be elected President since John F. Kennedy.
October 2009, won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Fourth US President to win a Nobel Peace Prize (2009) after Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1919) and Jimmy Carter (2002).
Defended his decision not to issue a formal written statement on the death of controversial pop star Michael Jackson on 25 June 2009.
Half-brother of Maya Soetoro-Ng.
Brother-in-law of Konrad Ng.
Merited a position in Time magazine's - The 100 Most Influential People in the World ("Leaders" category) - with an homage contributed by David Remnick (Issue: May 10, 2010).
Received a gift of a Portuguese water dog from Senator Ted Kennedy and his wife Victoria. Because the particular breed is reportedly hypo-allergenic, the First Family and friends were highly unlikely to suffer any allergic reactions in the pet's presence. [2009]
Obama's appearance on "The View" (1997) (29 July 2010) made him the first ever sitting US President to appear as a guest on a daytime TV talk show.
Obama's birthplace of Hawaii makes him the first U.S. president not born in the continental United States.
Brother-in-law of basketball player, coach and author Craig Robinson.
Son of Barack Obama Sr..
The character of Matt Santos in 'The West Wing' is based on him.
The first US President to be born after the Vietnam War started.
Is a big fan of the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and collected the comics as a youth.
Counts "Homeland" (2011) as one of his favorite TV shows.
First U.S. President to be personally presented with an Apple iPad 2 by Steve Jobs before it was officially released domestically. Obama is frequently seen using Apple devices.
Notable for being the first United States President to participate in social media. He is the first President to have a personal Facebook page and a Twitter account, and the first President to hold Q&A sessions via those forums and YouTube. He is also the first sitting President to own and use an iPod, Blackberry (custom made for security purposes), and iPad.
His daily newspapers are The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He claims to not watch cable TV news stations.
Introduced the 50th anniversary television broadcast of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Can speak Indonesian to a certain degree, having lived in Indonesia for a number of years during his childhood.
The TV presidential election campaign commercial for Obama featured, Carl Reiner, Garry Marshall, Larry Gelbart, Valerie Harper, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara (slogan: "This Ain't Funny, it's a serious election. Don't vote out of fear, vote for hope - Vote for Obama").
Was a classmate of Hill Harper's at Harvard Law School.
First United States President to be elected twice with over 50% of the popular vote since Ronald Reagan and the first Democratic President elected as such since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
First two-term President to take the Oath of Office four times. The first time, during his televised first inauguration, Chief Justice John Roberts made a mistake while reading the Oath of Office, which Obama repeated to avoid embarrassment. A few days later, he called Roberts into his office to do it again, and this time read it correctly. By law, the President is sworn in at noon on January 20. In 2013, the month and date fell on a Sunday, but to comply with the Blue Law (no work on Sunday), he was sworn in privately in the Oval Office, and then again publicly the next day. The two before him that were sworn in on Monday, January 21st, were Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 and Ronald Reagan in 1985.
One of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World (2013).

Personal Quotes

[from keynote speech given at the 2004 Democratic party national convention] There's not a liberal America and a conservative America. There's the United States of America. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states, and have gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war, and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
And it lives on in those Americans -- young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight -- who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was President of the United States of America.
[regarding former President Bill Clinton's support for his wife--and Obama's opponent for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination--Hillary Rodham Clinton] Sometimes I don't know who I'm running against.
[when asked whether he would call on Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton to release their tax returns, after Hilary loaned $5 million of her own money to her campaign] I'll just say that I've released my tax returns. That's been a policy I've maintained consistently. I think the American people deserve to know where you get your income from. But I'll leave it up to you guys to chase it down . . . I think we set the bar in terms of transparency and disclosure that has been a consistent theme of my campaign and my career in politics.
In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
When I am this party's [Democratic party] nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq; or that I gave [George W. Bush] the benefit of the doubt on Iran; or that I supported Bush-Cheney [former VP Dick Cheney] policies of not talking to leaders that we don't like. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it is okay for America to torture - because it is NEVER okay. That's why I am in it. As President, I will end the war in Iraq. We will have our troops home in sixteen months. I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus. I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century - nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. And I will send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, "You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now."
This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.
Change is coming to America.
In America, we have this strong bias toward individual action. You know, we idolize the John Wayne hero who comes in to correct things with both guns blazing. But individual actions, individual dreams, are not sufficient. We must unite in collective action, build collective institutions and organizations.
In Washington, the call this the Ownership Society, and it is especially tempting because each of us believes we will always be the winner in life's lottery, that we're the one who will be the next Donald Trump, or at least we won't be the chump who Donald Trump says: "You're fired!"
In America, we have this strong bias toward individual action. You know we idolize the John Wayne hero who comes in to correct things with both guns blazing. But individual actions, individual dreams are not sufficient. We must unite in collective action, build collective institutions and organizations.
In Washington, we call this the Ownership society, and it is especially tempting because each of us believes we will always be the winner in life's lottery, that we're the one who will be the next Donald Trump, or at least we won't be the chump who Donald Trump says: "You're fired!"
To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and the structural feminists and punk rock performance poets. We smoked cigarettes and wore leather jackets. At night in the dorms, we discussed neocolonialism, Franz Fanon, Eurocentrism and patriarchy. When we ground our cigarettes in the hallway carpet or set our stereos so loud that the walls began to shake, we were resisting bourgeois society's stifling constraints. We weren't indifferent or careless or insecure. We were alienated.
(visiting Ireland) My name is Barack Obama of the Moneygall O'Bamas. And I've come to find the apostrophe we lost along the way.
Hopefully, more and more people will begin to feel their story is somehow a part of the larger story of how we're going to reshape America in a way that is less mean spirited and more generous. I mean I really hope to be a part of the transformation of this country.
I'm not interested in the suburbs. The suburbs bore me. And I'm not interested in isolating myself. I feel good when I'm engaged in what I think are the core issues of the society, and those issues to me are what's happening to poor folks in this society.
It's crucial that people don't see my election as a sign of progress in the broader sense that we don't sort of point to a Barack Obama any more than you point to a Bill Cosby or a Michael Jordan and say "Well things are hunky dory".
To that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren court, it wasn't that radical. It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, or at least as it's been interpreted and Warren court interpreted in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties, Says what the states can't do to you. Says what the Federal government can't do to you, but doesn't say what the Federal government or the state government must do on your behalf, and that has shifted and one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was, um, because the civil rights movement became so court focused I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change. In some ways we still suffer from that.
Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.
You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years, and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.
It's great to be here this evening in the vast, magnificent Hilton ballroom, or what Mitt Romney would call a little fixer-upper.
You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we're talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. It doesn't make sense to them and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective. (May 9, 2012)
I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married. (May 9, 2012)
I believe the majority of gun owners would agree we should do everything possible to prevent criminals and fugitives from purchasing weapons. And we should check someone's criminal record before they can check out a gun seller. A mentally unbalanced individual should not be able to get his hands on a gun so easily. These steps shouldn't be controversial. They should be common sense.
We can't continue to sustain a situation in which some countries are maintaining surpluses, others massive deficits and there never is the kind of adjustment with respect to currency that would lead to a more balanced growth pattern.
My image of Onyango, faint as it was, has always been of an autocratic man - a cruel man, perhaps. But I had also imagined him an independent man, a man of his people, opposed to white rule... What Granny had told us scrambled that image completely, causing ugly words to flash across my mind. Uncle Tom. Collaborator. House nigger.
The only way my life makes sense is if - regardless of culture, race, religion, tribe - there is this commonality, these essential human truths and passions and hope and moral precepts, that we can reach out beyond our differences. If that is not the case, then it is pretty hard for me to make sense of my life. That is the core of who I am.
[on election night, November 4, 2008] This is your victory. I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years - block by block, brick by brick, callused hand by callused hand.
[on the political choice as he sees it in 2012] This isn't a matter of who's more patriotic or who is more empathetic toward people or who is nicer. It's a hardheaded assessment of what makes our economy grow. And the facts are on my side in this argument.
Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we're hardwired not to think clearly when we're scared.
What I wake up determined to accomplish every single day is making the best decisions I can. And the only thing then to guide you is what you genuinely think is best for the country. Because if you start trying to guess what's going to be most politically advantageous or try to game all that stuff out, you'll get lost very quickly.
We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK. That's not leadership. That's not going to happen.
I do think at a certain point you've made enough money.
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.
Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later.
As President of our country and Commander-in-Chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so.
If you can't beat your opponent's ideas, you distort those ideas and maybe make some up. If you don't have a record to run on, than you paint your opponent as someone people should run away from.
[on Donald Trump's refusal to trust the validity of the President's personal documents] This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya.
I've always believed that education begins at home, with parents who take responsibility - who read to their kids, set limits on the TV and instill a lifelong love of learning. But there is no substitute for a good school or the teacher who stands in front of the classroom.
[to the crowd at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration] I want to look out one more time. I'm not going to see this again.
The truth is that we have steadily become a more diverse and tolerant country that embraces people's differences and respect people who are not like us. That's a profoundly good thing. That's one of the strengths of America.
[on the 2012 campaign trail] If you buy into the cynicism that the change we fought for isn't possible, well, change will not happen. Other voices will fill the void: lobbyists and special interests, the people with ten million dollar checks who are trying to buy this election.
[on Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma)] The people of Oklahoma are lucky to have someone like Tom representing them in Washington - someone who speaks his mind, sticks to his principles and is committed to the people he was elected to serve. Each of us still hopes the other will see the light. But in the meantime, we'll settle for being friends.
[ at the 2009 White House Correspondents Dinner] Mother's Day is a tough holiday for Rahm Emanuel because he's not used to saying the word 'day' after 'mother'.
AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers and not in the hands of crooks. They belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities.
[on Nelson Mandela] I had read his writings and speeches and understood this was somebody who believed in the basic principle I just talked about - treating people equally. He was willing to sacrifice his life for that belief. He's a personal hero, but I don't think I'm unique in that regard. He's a hero for the world. If and when he passes from this place, one thing we all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages.

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Warren Buffett Bio, Quotes, Background and Investment Style

Born in August 30, 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffett was inclined towards stock market, right from his childhood. In his senior year at the University of Nebraska, Warren Buffet was so impressed by the Investment Classic “Intelligent Investor” that he left his hometown to study in the guidance of Benjamin Graham, the author of the book. Graham taught him the importance of calculating company’s intrinsic value. After attaining a Master’s degree in Economics from Columbia Business School, he returned to Omaha to serve in his father’s brokerage firm.
In the year 1954, he joined Ben Graham’s Graham-Newman Corporation. After Graham retired in 1956, Buffett returned to Omaha to start a limited Investment Partnership with seven limited partners. Over the next thirteen years, Buffett compounded the money at an annual rate of 29.5%. He had set target to defeat the Dow by just ten percent points but with his brilliance he defeated the Dow by twenty two percent points between the years 1957 and 1969.
In 1965, Buffett’s partnership overtook Textile Company – Berkshire Hathaway located in Warren’s hometown Omaha, Nebraska. In March 1967, Berkshire purchased the outstanding stocks of two insurance companies’- National Indemnity Company, National Fire and Marine Insurance Company. This was the beginning of phenomenal success story of Berkshire. Buffett stamped his authority on the investment business, when he became the Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc in 1970. Buffett’s net worth of $620 million brought his name in the Forbes List of 400 richest people, for the first time in 1979.
But this change of fortunes was unable to change Warren Buffett, the person. He is not like a typical billionaire. He still lives in the same home he bought in 1958; he drives his own car and pays his own taxes. Buffett is not only wealthy in money and intelligence but also in values as well. No wonder, Buffet is a regular feature in Forbes richest list year after year.

Investing Style

Warren Buffett is known as the Father of Value Investing and the Investment Industry takes inspiration from his unique style of investing. According to Buffett, the essence of value investing is to buy stocks at less than their intrinsic value giving an investor fair amount of Margin of Safety. Warren Buffet set a goal never to lose money irrespective of the market conditions.
He is always prepared to take calculated risks as he always does the planning beforehand. According to Warren Buffett “Noah did not start building the Ark when it was raining”. Buffett prefers to invest in simple and understandable businesses, checks out a company’s track record for ROE (Return on Equity) and tries to predict the growth of the company in next ten years.
He prefers to invest in companies that generate high ROE without much debt. One of his principles was to invest in good companies when they have a temporary problem or when the stock market is low and creating bargain prices for outstanding businesses.
He does not care about the switching nature of the stock market. For e.g. – the stock of the Coca Cola Company had gone up fivefold the prior six years and over five-hundred fold the previous sixty years when Buffett bought stocks worth $1 billion in Coca Cola. He earned four times the money he invested and the profit still continues to come in. In 1976 he purchased a very important position in GEICO when the stock had fallen down from $61 to $2 and the basic opinion was that the stock was definitely going to zero.
Warren Buffett avoided Pharma or Dot Com Companies for he never invests in business that he is unable to understand or falls under his circle of competence. He says that an investor should carefully study the facts and figures, value the company’s future outlook, and purchase when everything is in their favor. They should not try to predict the direction of the stock market, the economy, interest rates, or elections. The investors should concentrate only on a few holdings. This way, the investors can be more careful and thorough in their research. And it helps to eliminate the risk factor.
The Buy and Hold Investment strategy of Buffett has been appreciated by investors all over. The concept is to buy an outstanding business and hold it for years. This helps to achieve returns which are commensurate to the economics of Business.
Warren Buffett prefers to invest in companies which can provide their own management. Berkshire tries to work with the same management which was there before its purchase. The only area which is to the concern of Buffett is capital allocation and compensation of top managers. Otherwise managers are free to operate as they like. But Buffett also welcomes any matter on business environment which his managers want to discuss with him. It is indeed the strength of Buffett’s Principles that makes him so successful in the investment industry.

Warren Buffett: A symbol of Greatness

Warren Buffett is all about ‘Simple Living, High Thinking’. He also has many hobbies and knows how to enjoy life as well.
Warren Buffett is a great player of the game, ‘Bridge’. He has worked in an animated series which features Buffett and Munger and teaches children healthy financial habits. He also follows the Nebraska Football and he takes time out to watch the matches.
As a philanthropist also he has gathered much respect. He auctioned his Car to raise money for Girls and auctioned a luncheon with himself for a charity. In 2006, he announced a plan to give away his fortune to charity, with 83% of it going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Buffett married Susan Buffett Thompson in 1952. They got separated but Warren Buffett never married again. They had three children, Susie, Howard, and Peter. He says – “I want to give my kids just enough so that they would feel that they could do anything, but not so much that they would feel like doing nothing”.
This statement is an apt example of his greatness. It is not surprising that there are many books written in honor of Warren Buffett. But his personal favorite is collection of his essays called The Essays of Warren Buffett, which he described as “a coherent rearrangement of ideas from my annual report letters” as edited by Larry Cunningham.
Warren Buffett’s life is an apt example of Intelligence when combined with action leads to success. According to Buffett “You only have to do a very few things right in your life, so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.” And this genius continues to march ahead in the new pastures of possibilities.

Famous Quotes

Here are some famous Warren Buffett quotes
1. “Rule Number one Number one – Don’t lose the money and number two – don’t forget rule number 1!”
2. “An investor needs to do very few things right as long as he or she avoids big mistakes.”
3. “It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.”
4. “If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians.”
5. “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
6. “Most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can’t buy what is popular and do well.”
7. “I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.”
8. “I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years.”
9. “If a business does well, the stock eventually follows.”
10. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
11. “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.”
12. “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”
13. ”Never invest in a business you cannot understand.”
14. ”Stop trying to predict the direction of the stock market, the economy, interest rates, or elections.”
15. ”Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls-Royce to get advice from those who take the subway.”
16. ”As far as you are concerned, the stock market does not exist. Ignore it.”
17. ”Diversification is a protection against ignorance. It makes very little sense for those who know what they’re doing.”
18. ”It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.”
19. ”We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.”
20. “Our favorite holding period is forever.”
Warren Buffett is the most successful investors our living times and is one of the very few billionaires who have amassed wealth majorly through investing in stocks. Warren Buffett is bestowed with titles like “The Oracle of Omaha” and the “Sage of Omaha”. Warren Buffett continues to shine bright as an Investor, Businessman and Philanthropist. With a net worth of US $37 billion in 2009, Warren Edward Buffett is ranked as the second richest man in the world, just after his good friend Bill Gates who had the net worth of $40 Billion.

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