‘CANI’: The principle of personal development

Welcome to another beautiful week!
Personal development is a lifelong process that requires us to assess ourselves periodically in order to maximise our potential here on earth. God wants you to make the best of your life, so that you can both live a fulfilling life and be a blessing to everyone around you.

The CANI model for growth and development
After the Second World War, the United States of America dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Their cities were in ruins and they began contemplating what it would take to get back on world’s stage. A technocrat gave them a wonderful counsel. They were advised to keep improving daily on their products– continuous and never ending improvement. The acronym for that is: CANI (Continuous and Never Ending Improvement).

They took the challenge, and today they stand as one of the top world economies. We see products from such Japanese corporations as Honda and Toyota improving every day. They churn out all kinds of models, with new models coming out every season.

We must remember that growth is a function of a mental revolution. The injection of relevant and adequate information creates renewed mental motion. This is where change begins. You need to train yourself to be the best. There is a prize to pay for growth. Thank God for formal education, but much more, thank Him for the informal kind of education. You need to read good books and let the information therein change you. Remember that those who don’t read are not different from those who can’t read. Abraham Lincoln said: “I do not think much of a man who’s not wiser today than he was yesterday.”

The question is: are you getting better? Are you developing your potentials? A man is not old until he stops learning, whether at 30 or 80. Those who will not do the mental work will eventually do the menial work.

We have to be determined to make our lives count. The treasures within us must be explored, so that we can be a blessing to our generation.

Many people think of success as a destination, but it is a journey. Success is cumulative and occurs as a result of the right things done daily rather than a single event. At a University graduation ceremony, the graduates celebrate their success, which is a result of several semesters of hard work. Though the celebration is a single event, it really represents the successful completion of term papers, lectures and exams that were presented all through their stay.

If we must grow, we must make daily investments in our lives. We cannot afford to have the lottery mindset, where we wish for a particular day that success would just jump on us. True success requires daily investments.

I remember the story of a young man, who visited a priest. With tears in his eyes, he looked at the priest and said: “My marriage failed last night.” But the Priest looked at him and said: ‘No, your marriage did not fail last night. The accumulated failures in your marriage just showed up last night.”

Growth and success are functions of the right investments made daily till your best is released. You have to be determined and deliberate with your life to make it count.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What can I improve in my present situation?

• What action can I take today to embark on my own CANI journey?

I encourage you to take action and invest in your daily growth. You will impact your world!

I would love to hear from you; @yemidavids, pastoryemi@globalimpactng.org or visit www, globalimpactng.org or The Goodland, Ifako Bus Stop along Ogudu-Oworo Expressway, Lagos. @Globalimpactng. See you next week!