It is the end of the year and in a matter of days we will be celebrating the New Year. Then what?

The only thing that is guaranteed for everybody next year is that if we are all alive we will get older. If you are 25 now, you will be 26 next year. That I can guarantee you. Besides that, nada! Nothing else is guaranteed.

But we all want something else besides getting old, right? The question, however, is how do you plan on going about that? You cannot remain the way you are now and expect things to be different next year.

With all the debates going on between President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and General Muhammed Buhari, a lot of people are beginning to lose sight of the most important factor for a successful year. You. Yes, you. How your life will turn out next year is 90 percent dependent on you. Not GEJ or GMB. There are beggars even in the most developed nations of the world. You cannot have something for nothing.

Everything you will accomplish next year will be hinged on just one factor – information. Your life evolves in direct proportion to the information you have and what you do with the information. If your income is going to increase it will be based on the information you have. If your marriage will get better it will be based on information. If your business will do better it will be based on information. Information is critical.

Every one of us was born empty. We all get better based on the kind of information we take in and act upon. That is why your personal development is your responsibility. Ignore this and you will regret it in a few years’ time.

I know that not too many of us really have the time to attend workshops, seminars, trainings, etc. to develop ourselves. For some of us our jobs are really demanding and we really need the money. There are bills to pay. I will not deny that. However, you need to accept that if your life must get better you must bear the responsibility. That is the first step.

Now, even if you belong to that class where there is so much pressure on your time, you still have to make a way. You are not going to use a lack of time as the excuse why couldn’t maintain your relationship, whether courting or married. You are not going to use a lack of time as the reason why you couldn’t raise your children right.

The truth is, whatever is truly important to us, we always find a way to make out time for them. After all, in the midst of your busy schedule you still find the time to sneak in to Facebook to catch up with what is happening on your timeline. That is why you can actually read this right now.

How about converting those 5, 10 minutes into your personal development? Won’t it be nice to be on Facebook and actually read meaningful stuff that will help make you better? Stuff that will help you become a better employee at your place of work, a better partner to your spouse, a better parent, a better businessperson. And you get all of that and more right here on Facebook. What a lot of us don't know is that we can be a whole lot more with the same time we have right now. We just need to make it count.

From January, 2015, a group called Mute’s Notes (www./mutesnotes) that has been designed to help people who really want to take responsibility for their personal development will commence. It’s a group dedicated to life and living. Making you a better person in an ever busy world.

Every month, two or three articles will be published in the group. The articles will be discussed by the members of the group to share lessons learnt. Then there will be group live chat sessions fortnightly at a predetermined time where everyone will be online at the same time to help build one another. It’s going to be a community of people helping one another. Members will also receive SMS notification every time an article is published in the group.

Ok, what’s the catch? The catch is that to make sure only people with a desire to improve are in the group, there will be a one-time subscription fee of N5,000 for 6 months, January to June, 2015. Subscription can be renewed if you feel you got value for your money after the first six months. Otherwise, you can choose not to renew.

But for those that will be daring enough to subscribe before December 31, they will get a 40 percent discount. So they get to pay N3,000 instead of N5,000. But from January there will be no more discounts.

Those who wait for others to share their experience usually lag behind in life. Those who dare, more often than not, make the most of their lives. Money spent in your personal development is not wasted. It is an investment.

If you will like to subscribe to Mute’s Notes please see payment details below:

1. Pay subscription fee to:
Personal Leadership Resources
Guarantee Trust Bank Plc.
0160822431

2. Send an SMS in the format below to 08038749796
MN * Surname * First Name * Facebook Name * Email Address * GSM No

After your payment is confirmed, you will be invited into the group via your Facebook name as stated in the SMS you sent.

Thank you.

The one whom Jesus loves,
Mute Efe

Inquiries:
BB PIN: 2625EA25
Twitter: @Mute_Efe
Mobile: 08038749796
Email: mute.efe at gmail dot com
Facebook: www dot facebook dot com slash mutehimself