Courage Igene

Speak about the world as you want to see it rather than in a contradictory way.

 

Pastor Courage Igene is the founder and President of All Nations Church, which has many places of worship throughout the country. Originally from West Nigeria, Pastor Courage followed his call from God to the United States so he could share his passion with more people.

Pastor Courage travels to each church, providing spiritual guidance and prayer for those who need it. His goal is to empower as many people as possible through blessings and positivity.

Bringing people to God is his life’s passion. He has always known he would live a life of ministry and considers himself blessed to reach as many as he has.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

The idea to become a pastor came from divine inspiration of God. It became obvious to me what my path would be. I am very loving and caring toward people. I truly enjoyed what I was doing. I believe it was a calling from God and a divine inspiration from God.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I have a schedule of success. I am up at 6 every day. I write a list in blocks of time to arrange each task that must be accomplished. I organize my day as I set my priorities. I stay on that schedule to make my day successful. It is the only way that I can be productive and assure that each task or project can be accomplished.

How do you bring ideas to life?

The way I bring ideas to life is to consult with a group of very competent leaders. If I have an idea, I call all of them into a meeting. We share ways to make the ideas become real. I want to know what they think of the idea. I take notes about how they feel about the idea. At the end of the day, the idea is tweaked and it becomes a collaboration of an improved idea. We discuss the process of how the idea can be brought to fruition. These leaders have a great amount of experience in many different fields. I know I can rely on them for their excellent counsel.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I get excited about new technologies. It can be new car features or a new phone. It is like seeing great innovations that happen from one version to another. I research a lot of information, so the upgrades for finding information excites me. I cannot afford to run out and make that purchase, but I enjoy learning about it. It is the upgrades of new innovative technologies and the way it can improve our lives.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I believe the thing that makes me more productive every day is by surrounding myself with positive people. I want to shut down around negative people. So, I speak very positively to them. Even if the economy is not doing well, I speak as though it is a booming economy. I always want to be positive. I want to speak about the world in a positive way. I speak about the world as I want to see it rather than in a contradictory way.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to take one day at a time. I would say that you don’t have to complete everything in a single day. I am the kind of person who is doing several things at a time. I need to live true balance. I have to spread-out projects so that I don’t burn-out. I love to help people but I need to go one step at a time. I am much better now than I was, I am still learning but I am much better at balancing time and patience. Now, I get more done in a much more productive way.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

It is all about taking responsibility for your own actions. I know this to be true. Many times, individuals come to me and tell me that they have problems or that there has been an injustice done to them. I can clearly see that they are the ones who caused the problem due to the lack of taking responsibility for one’s own actions, but they want to blame someone else. When people learn to take responsibility for their own actions, they will learn not to repeat the same mistakes. As a result, the world gains wisdom and compassion for one another.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

The number one priority is prayer. I live a life of prayer. Through prayer, we gain a communion and fellowship with God. If you live your life in prayer God will always be there for you. He will direct you and guide you. If you have a communion with God everything else will follow. Doors will be opened and you will have a better life.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Love. The only strategy that I use is Love. Acts of kindness are how you show your love, and how I grew my church. Love cannot be faked. If you have love then people will perceive it. Love is action it is not just the words. It is when we respond to one another heart to heart. It has nothing to do with money. Money cannot buy compassion and caring. The heart acts and displays kindness only through genuine love. The people of my church want to stay because they know how much I care.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I believe in giving people opportunities and responsibility. I want to help people to grow and I am a very open and trusting person. If there is one regret that I have, it is when I did not use my discernment very well. A loving heart is easily betrayed without using our own intuition and discernment. When you put your faith and trust in a person and they betray that trust it causes a tremendous amount of pain. You expect that person to approach with their own loving truth regardless of the desire. They should have known that I would have worked in unity with them to accomplish their goals. It did not happen that way. Instead if felt like an unfathomable betrayal of trust. Many people were affected by the betrayal. It was a hard lesson to learn to use my heart with loving intuition and discernment.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I believe going into real estate is the best way to do business. I would encourage people to get into the real estate market.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

The best money that I have spent was on someone who needed urgent help with their rent. I gave it to help and they were very grateful.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I was using Movie Maker for video editing. It helps me to edit well but I am looking forward to purchasing Adobe which will allow me to record my lessons.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

One book I would recommend is Maximize Your Potential by Myles Munroe

What is your favorite quote?

We shall see what we shall see .

Key Learnings:

● Speak about the world as you want to see it rather than in a contradictory way.
● Be steadfast in your beliefs and live in a way that inspires other to be positive.
● Trust that God knows what is best and follow your heart.
● Don’t allow distractions to stop you from achieving the goals you set for yourself.

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