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I Belong

So close…..I belong,

I always make my bed. I didn’t grow up doing that, but I learnt when I got to University. Mum used to yell at me about clothes all over the room, wardrobe unkempt and bed unmade. So, I would just push everything back in and briskly kind of tidy the room to keep her quiet. But, when I got to University and realized the stress of coming back from lecture to an unmade bed, I started practicing what one of my room mates was doing.

Emiola always made her bed, perfectly crease free. She taught me. She would come back from a tired environment to her own hand made comfort. So it was, I started the same habit from University days and it stayed with me till today. The difference is real. Now, I rarely leave my room without my bed made.

We all have different ways of getting rid of stress. One of mine was my bed time routine. I would have my shower at night and change into my nightwear. Like a new bride preparing to meet her lover, I would find my favourite perfume and cuddle up to my pillow, as I say my prayers for the night. Whispers of gratitude for provision, protection, family and friends would be said to my maker, the lover of my soul. With peace in my heart and a smile on my face, I imagine my head in a warm embrace with my Lord. I belong.

So close, I belong

The sleep is sweet and the comfort is real.

I rarely do a blog post on a Sunday, but as I sang the song in my heart, I knew I had to share the accompanying thoughts with someone who needs to understand their place in the father’s heart. Who needs to know they are loved beyond measure, who needs to develop a place of rest, find their own haven and everything else that this post causes you to do. Also, feel free to share it with someone else to bless them too. It starts from the little things

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Let’s just say Reflection.

  • What do you see in others and what do others see in you?
  • What do you see in your mirror?
  • Vision of agreement

Spending time in the midst of like minded people, you begin to see similar character traits, physical attributes and general agreement. Thanks to zoom and other online meeting platforms, that bring like minded people from all over the world into one room and close proximity. I have attended so many of such meetings in recent time and I noticed, heads nodding.

When someone says something that resonates with another, the neck drops a couple of times. The degree of agreement determines the frequency and number of nods. We all do it. Some people doing it consciously as an NLP anchoring technique and others unconsciously because it is the most natural thing to do.

To be in agreement means that you recognize value in the subject being discussed or the case presented. We all have the seed of value and greatness in us. The unfortunate thing however, is the simple fact that not every one understands the depth of value that is resident in them. Imagine knowing what you are worth?

What are you worth?

Knowing your worth gives you the power to command the asking price of the value you are bringing to the table. It gives you the power to, not only negotiate your asking price but also the confidence to say No! to some offers, deals and contracts. Value does not happen due to low self esteem, and within certain environmental factors.

Value is deeply rooted in identity. When you discover who you are, and position yourself in an atmosphere for conducive growth, you will find a lot to nod about. Nodding in agreement. More to laugh about; laughing in contentment. Above all, more to bring to the table. You reflecting absolute value.

Busola Shogbamimu is a LIFE (Legacy, Impact, freedom and Empowerment) Coach. She helps women over 30 avoid post retirement poverty through a personalized blend of passion, purpose and profit techniques. She can be contacted for individual sessions, workshops, teams or community building session at busola@rmlclubs.com.

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Power of Yes!

Say Yes and open that door.

Some people are experts at saying NO and do so at their own peril, while some say yes even to their own detriment. When and how then can we strike the balance. I remember writing the story of a dedicated young lady, who was invited to speak at a leadership conference and turned up very late. The program was juggled around to the point of almost eliminating her role and then she came. She apologised profusely and was given the chance to do her talk as soon as the opportunity came.

She went on to tell the younger girls in attendance about saying yes to the call of duty. She gave a speech that shared her life story of saying Yes to a beauty pageant and she won. This in turn opened the door to be an ambassador to a charity, that led her to charitable work abroad where she had the opportunity to meet film stars from the country. This led to her being asked to feature in a film. All because she said Yes!

She said Yes to my charity when she was invited to speak. I found out at the end of the day that she came late because she was in the middle of a housing crisis, while juggling full time work and sleeping on a sofa without assurance of where the next night will find her. Yet, she came. Will I ever forget her? Absolutely not!

I am reminded of her story today as I think of my week ahead and the years gone by. I said yes to attend a conference that opened my eyes to personal development and then – the industry got me. I became a growth junkie and I love it. This has opened doors for me to meet the most amazing network of sound people. Unstoppable in the good they are putting out in the world. I said yes, to an invitation to support a friend over 11 years ago and it opened the doors of leadership and growth for me.

As I shared my story with one of my new family members (JMT DNA), I have been asked to attend a recorded session to recount my journey. I sure am looking forward to it. I know it will encourage one or two people sitting on the fence about taking decisions in life. Life is for living and live purposefully. The world is waiting for you to deliver your share of your goodness. Don’t let fear hold you back. You hold the key!

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When the Robber…….

How ready are you?

The first time I heard the saying; When the robber hits the road, I automatically pictured a thief being chased from his hiding in a rough uneven road and when he got onto the motorway and was able to run faster. My imagination being active painted a picture for me that explained what I thought I heard. Later I discovered it was not what I thought but the interpretation was close enough.

When the rubber meets the road is purely a case of opportunity meeting preparation. The right environment for the creation of success. We all have goals, dreams, desires, aspirations and wishes. These desires and good things we want for ourselves will forever stay the same, if we do not actively create the environment for them to take off and to survive.

Opportunity is exactly what it is. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary,  Opportunity is a favorable juncture of circumstances. It is always desired and though sometimes expected, it’s time frame is usually unpredictable. As much as opportunity is the trigger that creates that success environment, it can be a total waste if there is no preparedness.

How prepared are you for your next opportunity. How ready are you to take off, Are you still unclear of the path to take or even why you are here. For some people, it is an issue of identity while it is purpose or the plan for others. It could be business or personal. The bottom line is the fact that you need to understand the why and the process.

Since getting clarity on the saying; when the rubber meets the road, my imagination is better fed to deliver a brand new set of wheels on a sound engine, about to take off on a long journey to a dream destination. The engine is revved up, the weather is good, the road is clear. The booth has spares and supplies for the trip. It is definitely not going to be a crawl. It is a well earned trip of, Legacy, Impact, Freedom and Empowerment. It is a LIFE sentence.

Above all, it is not the robber; it is the RUBBER.

We are the product of our daily choices

Busola Shogbamimu is an independent life coach with The John Maxwell Team. She is passionate about self identity leading to self-actualization. She helps individuals and organisations develop their personnel towards unifying their corporate goals. Her empowerment slogan is #yhtk (You hold the key).

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Who’s coming along?

It has indeed been a while since I did a blog post and I sure did miss sharing my thoughts here. Time spent doing other things was worthwhile and valued, but I am glad to be back.

Over the weekend, I was privileged to attend a follow up support call on a training program that I took. The host took his time to explain and gave so much value on the call. Then came the questions and answer session, and another phase of learning from other people’s perspectives emerged. What blew me away was the patience, time and thought that went into answering everyone’s questions. Even though we went over time, the motive of the host was without doubt; no-one must be left behind.

That definitely got me thinking. In our journey of life, who are we carrying along when we are going places? When the prospect is promising, who are we calling to view the other side? What kind of a traveller are we? Are you a solo- artist or you understand the power of two or more?

As the world gets smaller, systems are taking over in automation and fast tracking success. The importance of collaboration, team work, partnership, scaling and compounding is showing up more evidently in business and networking systems. Who are you carrying along? As that may be a wrong question for some people, I will ask then again; who are you going with?

I will leave the thoughts with you to process as I go pull my boat out for my own journey. You are more than welcome to come along my journey.

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Peace maker or Pace maker

In a world where arguments, broken homes and relationships is the order of the day, there is a greater need and urgency for solution providers before things escalate. What difference would it be to have water poured over the fire spark before it becomes a full blown blaze.

For as long as we are not a clone of ourselves, we are bound to have differing opinion on anything and everything. To see things from the same point of view is a blessing that should not be taken for granted. Why then should we allow resentments, anger, discord, and other negative emotions to build up to destroy us, when we can intentionally try and find a common ground.

Purposing to be the peace maker in a relationship does not mean you are laying yourself as a door mat. It means you are willing to listen, try and understand the other person’s perspectives without bias to your own thoughts and emotions. Also trying to see the underlying and unspoken reason that could make them hold such a stance. Then trying to reach a common ground.

Watch the video below and think of how damaging small unresolved issues can lead to full blown destruction of human lives.

When peace is truly out the window, healing of the heart is often required. Whether it is in form of the physical pacemaker being attached to the human body, or human equivalent by way of; family, friends, society etc. Let’s all work on being the peacemaker and the peace keeper, instead of the pacemaker. #YHTK

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Ready, Fire, AIM!

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

The first time I heard the expression, I thought to myself; that cannot be right. How can you prepare for a thing, execute it and then position yourself? Should you not get ready first, aim and then fire? We are used to being told to get ready when opportunity comes knocking. We are familiar with opportunity meeting preparedness to create success.

“Opportunity and preparedness is the love relationship for success”

In recent times, I have come to appreciate the concept of ready, fire and aim. We can never be fully ready for anything because nothing is perfect. There will always be an opportunity to fine tune it and ease the creases around the corners. The color is always going to need tweaking and the angle rotated left and right. There is always a thing to add on to make that project better than its current state.

What about failing forward?

Think of the fact that the so called professionals are still failing at every step of improvement. The only difference is they took the very first step, knowing that it was not perfect. What then are you waiting for? Do what you have to do by failing in the positive direction. Be prepared by planning and then just do it. Get yourself up from the result and dust up to position yourself again in the right direction.

I am hoping the message is getting clearer with every word. Get ready, fire! then aim. You hold the key #YHTK

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Contentment Vs Self-Actualization

Happiness is being conscious that #YHTK

One of the most inspiring videos I have had the opportunity to come across tells the story of a contented woman. I watched this video at a time when the world was in chaos and world leaders could barely sleep. Families were dying all over the globe and death toll on a daily basis was the highlight of media channels.

The same time was described as unprecedented and even as I write today, countries are still trying to contain the virus activated life style that we all currently live. Yet, for the few people who could see beyond the chaos, they celebrated that they were part of history. It was famine and rationing in most places and most homes. However, this video caused me to cry tears of joy. The woman’s joy was authentic. What she had and celebrated, most rich and famous people could never get, even if they exchanged all their wealth for it.

This brought me to the question of fulfillment, contentment and self-actualization. She was without any shadow of doubt, contented and most definitely on the path to self actualization. She was realistic, optimistic and open handed to welcome people to her home .If fulfillment is the definition of achievement of something desired, then I cannot honestly answer for her if she is fulfilled or not. She alone will be able to say what her aspirations are and if they are met or not. I leave you to decide after watching the video to share your thoughts below.

Proof that you may have nothing, yet be contented and happy

No matter what the day presents, my message for you today is simple. Enjoy the journey and smell the roses as you go. If you can’t see the roses, take in the fresh air and be grateful that you can inhale and exhale. People on ventilators are struggling to do just that. Laugh daily, find your purpose and live without apology for who you are. Be true to yourself – that is one thing you should not compromise. Be your authentic self, it is too hard being a clone of someone else or a copy. It is better to be a bad original than a good copy.

Be intentional about your happiness and about being the difference you want to see in society. Embrace change, be open to ideas. Keep a gratitude journal as you consciously count your blessings. Accept what you cannot change and change what you can. Be deliberate about redesigning a better version of yourself on a daily basis. Live life as best as you can today, tomorrow is promised to no-one.

Your reason being #YHTK (You hold the key). The difference lies in purpose and living it through.

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From Whispers To Statutes

Women gossip; Gossip for change Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

Look around you and they are everywhere. Some prominent and others are seen as insignificant. Our personalities are different, yet we all carry the same power. Some louder than others to no effect, while others are soft and gentle like the rudder of a ship, yet they steer the massive vessel to its destination.

It breaks my heart when I read of women short changing themselves in any relationship. Be it spousal, friendship, work or any relationship. I believe strongly in the power of a woman to change the world. I believe strongly in our power to change destinies. Created to be carriers and incubators, whether we have biological children or not, we are carriers and shapers of destinies.

Right from conception, words spoken to the unborn baby is already preparing the destiny of that child. Words used daily in whispers is creating the nurturing environment for a healthy, emotionally balanced individual. Words used in correcting the toddler will either shape him or break him. The power to build destinies lies in the woman’s hands.

A well raised son understands it is important to treat women well and will never raise his hands to a woman. He stands up to defend the causes of the weak in society. He ensures resources are distributed fairly and will not be just all about himself.

A well raised daughter also understands the importance of self respect, dignity and fairness for her husband and her household. She carries herself with humility and respect. Her head is held high and her ears open to listen, while her hands and legs are ready to run the race to help others.

The innate power of every woman to design and change the story of humanity begins from baby whispers, classroom whispers, table whispers, bedroom whispers and every opportunity to whisper. It also ends in statutes.

Women gossip and men discuss they say. Women gossiping changed the case of child marriage into an abolished practice in a particular country. I challenge you as a woman today to make your gossip session one that promotes positive change in society. Give the men something to discuss to build a better tomorrow for the next generation.

After all #YHTK. Be a game changer for your generation today with a globally resounding whisper.

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Scars and Medals

Scars and Medals Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

One of the quotes I am crazy about in recent times is attributed to Winston Churchill and it says “if you are going through hell, keep going.” Every leader knows that there are times when quitting seems to be very attractive, yet it is not an option. Always stop to consider all the shift that has gone before and the medal awaiting you at the goal post.

Life was never a promise of hunky dory and smooth sailing. The times when we acquire the burns, scratches and scars are truly our defining moments. The medal at the end of the race is desirable and it fuels the drive to keep going. No matter what we are faced with on a daily basis, let’s keep going as It never truly ends until the last breath.

Do you have scars from yesteryears to look back on, reminding you that the struggle was real? If you are here today, then you walked through your previous hell and you will do it again and again. Winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win they say. If you did it before, sure you can do it again.

All you need to carry on is tackle one day at a time and an attitude of gratitude. It does not matter how big the mess is, start by handling what you can and this too shall pass! #YHTK (You hold the key).

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How to live a worry free life

Worry, just like stress does not produce any positive result for your well being.

Looking around you currently with the state of the global economy, the demands on the global health system, the unpredictable nature of the future; Are you thinking of the thin line between managing existing limited resources and poverty threshold? or unsure of where the next income stream is going to come from. Are you stressing about the many bills and people you still need to support? If so, you sure do have enough reasons to worry today.

Some people do not need all or some of the above before they worry. They are born worriers. They worry about the shape of the teabag, the colour of the soup, the middle name of their son’s class teacher, why there are only six waffles in a pack, the look on the post man’s face, people that greet or acknowledge them and the ones that ignore them. Simply put, they always have a reason to worry about something or the other.

On the other hand, some people float through life effortlessly like the world was made for them to skip through every hurdle. Do they have any problem? Sure they do! The difference being that they have taken a decision about the role of worry in their lives.

Livng my worry free life

Who has worry helped?

Worrying has never been known to help anyone or solve a problem. Not one! What worry does is magnify the problem for you, create anxiety and fear. Fear paralyses you. Fear blocks you from seeing any possible solution. Fear eats you up and releases negative toxins in your body, thereby causing further ailments and diseases in the body.

How then do you handle worry?

I have always been accused of sauntering through life like I have no problem. What people fail to understand is the fact that I do not entertain fear, worry or anxiety. I have learnt to live my worry free life by doing four simple things – PTCD.

Pray: As a believer in Christ and the holy trinity. I take all my worries to God in prayer as my no. 1 port of call. Being a person of faith and having lived my life like this with positive results for over 5 decades has taught me to pray with an expectant heart for a positive result. Part of praying includes being thankful for previous victories with a heart of gratitude and also for eternal access to God himself through Christ Jesus.

Trust: For me to trust means there has been proven track record of success. I believe whatever the outcome of the current situation, even if it is not what I am expecting, it will work to my advantage. So I become open minded towards the result.

Cast: I transfer the problem to God to sort out. No, I do not bury my head in the sand and ignore that I have an issue to deal with. Remember, that I have prayed to someone I trust to sort it out for me. Just like if you have a broken car, you take it to your trusted mechanic; you expect him to call you to let you know the job is complete and if there’s any part that needs to be added to the car, he will let you know. (I don’t worry about the process the mechanic takes in getting the car ready. That is his job). That is just how it works when you cast your cares.

Do: Next step is to take action. Once you have done all the above, you have a clearer vision of what your next step of action will be. Whatever step you take will get to the end of the problem, no matter how fast or long it takes. The main thing at that point in time is that you are not stressed or anxious about it. You are taking action.

Takeaway

What you need to know now is that; Worry never added a positive thing to your situation. Worry takes away from you. You can be worry free even if the world around you is collapsing by practicing: Pray- Trust- Cast – Do. Remembering always that #YHTK (You hold the Key)

see http://www.amazon.co.uk/author/busolashogbamimu for more books by busolashogbamimu

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Quarantined moms

Nothing equates a mother’s love
Photo by Nicholas Githiri on Pexels.com

It’s Mother’s day 2020 and for the first time in many years, most moms are staying at home. No restaurant treat, no church services, schools closed, limited shopping, rationing and no work. A totally unprecedented event in most people’s life for this generation. The Corona virus pandemic has brought families together more than any other event. Every problem has lots of positive angles, it all depends on where we are looking at it. This year, it’s all about family and togetherness.

It’s mother’s day today and a time to celebrate all women in hibernation. All women under the duvet. All women tending to the welfare of the next generation, All women in hospitals healing and helping the sick. All women at the war front, both civil and domestic. All women kept physically and emotionally.

A woman’s role is beyond description. Once a baby with no clue of what the world holds, she grows up into a girl with lofty dreams and then a woman of vision. Yet she sets all that aside for a full time job of patiently listening, praying, believing, encouraging, laughing, celebrating, forgiving, understanding, fighting, overlooking and consistently meeting the needs of her family.

Her pride, her goals, her sleep, her dreams, her life and her all are usually always on the back burner. I am a woman. I am proudly a black woman. I celebrate myself together with all my sisters all over the world in every race and ethnicity. Though quarantined globally, we continue to fulfill our roles as destiny shapers to all our children and partners.

You are a Mom as long as you reproduce yourself through mentoring, fostering, adoption, leadership and by giving the best of yourself to the people in your world and leaving a mark for the next generation. Happy Mother’s day to all women of vision, purpose and dreams. Happy Mother’s day to all Quarantined moms.

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Progress? Halt!

Mission stoppers

Rarely will you find a right thinking man not seeking progress or success in one venture or the other. We are mostly constantly on a path of making things better or doing things differently towards a better way of life. We set goals, targets and work hard towards them but sometimes it just takes forever to reach these goals.

One of the things that stops us in our track is often times intangible and unreal. Not knowing the problem is more dangerous than knowing the problem. When you know, you begin to look for ways to find solution. When you do not know, you have no idea what to do to solve a stagnating period of life. One major life goal limiting factor is negative thoughts.

Negative thoughts – This is a problem emanating from the mind that once you can tackle, you are on a winning path. Negative thoughts tells you; you cannot do it, you are not equipped, you have none or little knowledge, you will fail, no one survives, you will die etc, BUT once you learn to attack negative thoughts, progress begins for you.

Since negative thought is a problem from the mind, you need to tackle it at source. First, you start by meditating on the positive, then hearing it so often around you by audio listening or conversation. Then you begin to confess it daily and believing your confession until it manifests into reality. Yet, you keep up your confession or affirmation such that it becomes second nature.

Words used to counter negative thoughts include believing on quotes like Napoleon Hills’ “What a mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” The operating word there is believing. If you believe the lie, it will manifest itself greatly for you. If you change the game and believe positively for yourself, it will manifest itself greatly for you.

Today is the time for you to start changing the game for your life. You have dreams, goals and desires. Start believing in yourself and your ability to win. If you do not have the skills to carry it out, you will take the necessary action to learn it. Focus on your goal and believe in yourself. You can, you will and you start confessing and acting.

I can. I will. I am able. I know. I am. You are in the driver’s seat of your life. Something as flimsy as a thought saying it is not possible will not stop you. Understand this too, it is always impossible until it is done. You can and you will. You are more than able. You hold the key #YHTK.

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How Much?

What are you worth in your own eyes?

Think about why people treat you the way you are treated. Confidence in carriage does not arise from copying what you like in other people. Confidence is a product of knowledge. knowledge of who you are.

Too many people suffer from self doubt, insecurity and co dependence on others and lots more emotional problems. Take time to think and understand that not everybody will like you even if you spend all of your lifetime trying to please them. You actually start living the day you stop worrying about other people’s opinion and start doing what is right for yourself.

How much value do you place on yourself. If you think you are worthless, why do you expect other people to respect you? You are already sending a negative signal, why are you expecting positive? If you plant an apple seed, why are you expecting an harvest of banana? Did you plant banana?

As you see yourself, so will the world see you. Change your belief system today and start seeing only value in yourself because truly you are valuable. Those flaws that you are focusing on to diminish yourself, everyone has them in different degrees. You are no different than any other man, the only difference is they acknowledge their negative parts and have accepted it as part of who they are, yet focused on their positive while self improving generally.

What then are you waiting for? Begin counting the good things going for you and you will begin to see value in yourself. Remember also, #YHTK. Start adding value to yourself if you want others to see value in you and change the negative way you have accepted to be treated.

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The 3P’s of success

choices on a hamster wheel?

Struggling to decide on the right choice of career to undertake is not a problem for only the young people. Many adults struggle through life, changing career patterns, changing jobs and industries and also changing investment interest to no end. All in the bid of making a choice of the one that is the most lucrative.

Decisions, decisions, decisions! We are confronted with making decisions on a daily basis. What to eat, what to wear, where to go, how to do, when to do etc. No doubt, some people find it easy to make decisions. However, some struggle trying to find the perfect condition, error free option.

Flexibility is important in life and so is structure. Do not be caught at either extreme. What ever you decide to do in life, if you want success along its lines, be sure it is centred around the 3Ps.

People – they are the very reason the world exist. They have needs that need to be satisfied. They are the voices that build and destroy. They are the market place. They require value. They are also and integral part of your success. The formula for people is find out what they need, look for how to provide it, make sure it is adding value to them and watch them go about building you.

Purpose – You were born for a reason. If you don’t find that reason and fulfill it, you may as well be a hamster on a wheel. You will end up going from pillar to post and running helter skelter in pursuit of nothingness. When you find your purpose and go about fulfilling it, your level of contentment has no bounds. Every human being deserves to find their purpose.

Profit – Whether it be financial, physical or emotional, your time spent in anything you do should be profitable. All the time of our days is spent in activity. For your guaranteed success, cultivate and evaluating attitude of what brings you benefit in all the activities you are engaged in.

When you have all these in the right balance my friend. You no doubt have LIFE – Legacy, Impact, freedom and empowerment. You will live happy and die happy. You will have your footprint in the sand for others to follow.

Remember #YHTK

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That One Moment!

and now you get it!

If you are a parent or a very caring friend, you will fully grasp my message today. When you try so hard to get your children to understand life issues, to safeguard them for the future, or you try and save a mate from a destructive relationship and in their eyes, “You don’t get it”! That is exactly what I am talking about.

I constantly preach a message of savings and investment to my children, because I was one of those in my generation who got formal education instead of financial education. Thankfully, I copped on before it was too late. I want them to be financially independent and retired from the rat race at an early age. Yet, there is that one missing puzzle – the message is never well received when the relationship is too close.

My daughter called me up a couple of months ago, she had been on a night out with her work colleagues and met one of the directors at work, who happened to be a young girl, few years older than my daughter. This young director was chatting about how she scrimps and saves and budgets on everything, watches her spending habits and she finally has her own house, a three bed house in London and she is only 27 years old.

My daughter’s call was about her eureka moment of seeing the light through another young person’s vision. She was inspired and started planning on how she was going to change her habits and save more and this and that.

That one moment when the penny drops and the blind receives their sight. That one moment when understanding illuminates your life and you realize that all that you need to be who you need to be is already within you. That one moment when you realize that you are a total package, with nothing missing and nothing lost.

My message to you today is to let you know that you are part of a fully functioning body and no one else will do you like you. You thoughts, your style, your ideas, your skills, your habits, your face and all of you is peculiar to you. You are unique and well endowed to live a happy and successful life. The tools are all within you.

  • Start with self love, appreciation of all of you both hardware and software.
  • Identify your inherent skills
  • Find where your skills can solve a problem for humanity
  • Get your audience
  • Deliver your support
  • Find ways to monetize your delivery
  • Success follows

All in that one moment! #YHTk

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Stumbling Blocks

In the beginning of the year, I decided I was going to expand my sphere of influence by empowering a few good women.  For me, this was part of my purposeful journey for the year.  Part of this mission involved daily messages and sharing of learning resources to propel us all to the next level.  It required commitment and consistency.  The foundational principle of which was gratitude being your daily attitude to delivering your visualized dreams on a regular basis.

On one of the days, I received some shocking news. Easily I could have crumbled but I had to carry on answering messages, delivering speeches, holding myself up and forging on.  My reaction brought back the memory of a young girl who got an ambassadorial role for a renowned charity, as a result of winning a pageant.  A huge responsibility as you would know. 

On one such occasion, she had to deliver a speech to a group of younger girls in a leadership empowerment forum.  She arrived unusually late, almost towards the end of the event.  She delivered an awesome motivating speech to the girls and when leaving called me aside to apologize for her lateness. Her excuse; her family lost their home five days ago and she had been living  between friend’s sofa’s from her suitcase and in different shelters, not knowing where she will be sleeping from night to night, as they struggled to find an alternative place in a city suffering from housing crisis.  She had to go to work and an audition on the same day before eventually showing up at the event.

Her message delivered to the girls took on a new meaning for me as she told them “if you are asked to do something and it resonates with you, just say yes” even if you don’t know how to do it, you will learn later. But saying yes, opens doors for you that you never would have imagined.

What she scaled and I scaled to show up to our audience is called stumbling blocks.  What is standing in your way from achieving your goal today.  Identify your stumbling block and scale it like an accomplished athlete.  Stumbling blocks can be external or internal.  It can show up in the form of family, friend, work, finances, procrastination, rejection or anything meaningful or meaning less.

Whatever it may be, it will not last and it will pass.  Handle it like the professional that you are and move on to your next level. Remember in all of this that you are in the driver’s seat of your life and you firmly hold the key.

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Stay off the goals

Mind over matter. The winner is usually at the end of the race even before the race begins.

It’s the new year and everyone is up and about setting new year resolutions and goals. Most people are about changing some aspect of life, finances, job, relationship, location and the biggest one is usually weight loss. All these goals, while they are good in themselves, the only bad thing is they are usually a January trend. The slightly better ones hang around till March or April and only the determined ones see the year through.

Before setting goals, how well did you prepare for its actualization. The foundation of any project is the mind. If the mind can conceive it, it will achieve it. Your no.1 task is to embed the end result of the goal into your subconscious mind and live it out each day as you walk through to your desired result.

Good news is you are the one in charge. The sole driver of your destiny. Achieving your desired goals is totally down to your commitment to such. My word for you for today is; Lay a solid foundation by cultivating your mind to living in your desired end result for your goal, then pursue that goal with the belief that it is already in the bag. Simply put, take massive action in living beyond the goal.

Guaranteed three months down the line if you do the above, you will definitely be applauding your progress rather than restarting the game again and again like you did last year and the year before and the year before that.

You were born to win and #YHTK (You hold the key). Happy New Year !

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Final words

2020 excitement

It’s the last post for this year and I am super excited and sincerely words defy me in explaining my enthusiasm for the new year. In all sincerity, I feel like a five year old kid, awaiting Santa to drop the goodies. All for the transition into 2020.

I am compelled to share some of the operating key words that has opened doors of opportunity and favour for me this year and which I am definitely carrying into the next year.

  • Simplify – Don’t over complicate any issue. Less is more.
  • Intention – Wake up with intention and carry on through the day in execution of goals with intention. (It is your commitment to yourself).
  • Mindfulness – A skill to be developed in goal achievement.
  • Affirmation/Declaration/ Confession – 3 words one meaning. keep it positive.
  • Manifestation = Faith in action – Propelling reality from the abstract realm.
  • Journal – Write it down and make it plain. (Good for direction and look back memoirs)
  • Reflection – Looking back
  • Balance – A necessary tool to successful living
  • Overwhelm – A mental state of mind you need to check constantly and avoid at all cost.
  • Legacy – Your obligation to humanity.
  • Expectation – An attitude of the mind that delivers your needs.
  • Happy – A constant state of mind reflected by intermittent smiles throughout the day.
  • Freedom – Your right to living free and to be you in every sense.
  • Impact – The number of lives you touch and make a difference in.
  • Empowerment – Every word, thought or deed from you that propels another to becoming a better person in any aspect of life.
  • Purpose – Your personal task on planet earth. Your raison d’etre.
  • Attitude – Only one word for this GRATITUDE . The key to successful living.
  • Worry – An issue that has nothing to do with you. It resolves itself with minimal action.
  • Time – The equivalent of life. Totally priceless.
  • Identity – Knowing who you are without a shadow of doubt.

These are my definitions for the above words that have blessed me beyond measure and brought great joy to my life. I hope 2019 has been an eventful one for you and pray 2020 brings clarity to your vision.

Let’s get this party started! Right. Happy New Year in advance and remember always #YHTK

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Power House

What works with what?

As the year steadily draws to a close, a lot of people are preparing for the festive season. Christmas and the New year. Some are planning for the next year because typically the end of the year is a time of reflection and planning for new heights and adventure for the coming year.

Soon it will be January. You will shortly be asked “What is your New Year Resolution? ” or hear someone ask another the same question. Every right thinking human being wants success on all levels. I recall my sister telling me about a friend of hers whose family Christmas tradition included an accountability session. Every child comes to explain what they have achieved and share their goals for the coming year. I am not at their dinner table or at any of their accountability sessions. I did not know they even did anything of such. What I do know and that is apparent to the whole world is the level of success in this family.

What brought this about is my understanding of how great the mind is. The mind is truly the power house. The creation room, the process and the completion. The board room and factory as well as the marketing place of all that you are. In your mind, what you say to yourself and believe, is what you will execute. What you believe about yourself is what you will introduce yourself as. Someone once said, some people say they are not sales agents and so cannot pitch anyone. But once you introduce yourself to someone with your name and what you do, you have already started the selling process.

The mind as the power house needs to be cultivated with intention. The rave about mindfulness is nothing if you have no intentions. Bring your ideas, your plans and desires to your power house. Become intentional and reflective about every aspect of your life. Do you want to see magic happen? Then follow the steps simple steps below.

  • Wake up with intention to achieve your goals
  • Carry out task with a mindful attitude. (I am doing this task to achieve this goal)
  • Reflect on your success, celebrate your wins and choose improvement areas
  • Go to bed planning for tomorrow with a mindful attitude
  • Keep a journal that documents your path and guides you.

In a short space of time, you will be amazed at what levels of success you can achieve with this simple strategy. The time for clarity is now and you hold the key. Sometimes a little tweaking of other people’s success levels is what you need to energize you. Be mindful of every action. Be consistent and watch your dreams become a 3D reality for you.

#YHTK