Lessons from 2016

Denis Waitley once said "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

2016 came to us as a new bride: sweet and beautiful but then it began to unfold; pouring out its mysteries. We had pain, laughter, heartaches, love, regret and all other life presents. 

Many people spent hours, days on things that shouldn't matter while other merely lived as they know how to all in the pursuit of happiness and comfort. 

2016 has taught me many valuable lessons, most of which are from family and friends and others, from experiencing life.Here are 15 of 2016 most valuable lessons I learnt:

1. Not every gift is tied with a bow. my life isn't!
2. Memories make the heart grow fonder.
3. Being wrong sometimes doesn't make me stupid.
4. There are miracles all around.
5. No knowledge is a waste.
6. People lie, forgive them.
7. Change is constant and good.
8. People are going to talk, let them.
9. You cannot tell me when to be happy.
10. Life is like food, prepare it well and you will enjoy it.
11. Count your blessings.
12. Debt is frustrating.
13. Stop complaining, start doing.
14. Do whatever the heck you want to do.
15. Even this too shall pass.

I hope you take this lessons, ponder on it and make your 2017 a great year. 

What are some of the life lessons you’ve learned in 2016 and how have they changed or going to change your life? Please share your ideas and experiences in the comments below.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a splendid New Year!

While I Procastinate

If you have been following this blog, you would notice that I am one of the worst bloggers ever to exist on planet earth (not true). I write a blog post like once in every month and that's if I write at all. The problem isn't what to write about (although sometimes it is) but how to start writing. I cannot say it is procrastination because even procrastinators get the job done.

Early this year, I wrote the blog posts "Making New Year Resolutions" and "How to Make Your Resolutions Stick" to help us overcome the pitfalls of saying one thing and doing another (but oh was I wrong). I made plans and resolutions, I had targets and strategies, prepositions and all that stuffs showing how prepared I was to make 2016 the best year ever.

Then this happened:
Just like an athlete that started a 5000m race with maximum speed and realised that he could not make to the end of the race with that speed, I have come to the realisation that my speed has come to its minimum but I must finish the race.

I focused more on getting results that I forgot there were processes, activities and techniques I had to follow to achieve my dreams or reach my goals. Every progress I made within the first few months went down the drains when I decided to skip few steps to achieve one goal.

Deep in thoughts about getting back on track, I forgot my family and friends, how much they cared about me and how much they will be willing to help me grow. Pride, fear and distrust destroyed me even before I started.

The change:
The most important thing I have come to realize is that no matter how low I fall or how high I rise, my family and (real/fake) friends are always there with me. I can trust them and can rely on there love and hatred to make me stronger.

Been committed to a thing is not bad but I will make sure to raise my head every few minutes and enjoy the beauty around you. The world and everything in it is beautiful, close your eyes and feel it, open your arms wide and embrace it.

Learn to express emotions, whether love or anger, sadness or laughter, disgust or pleasure, pride or humility; your emotions help people understand you better. It makes you light: gets things off you chest/shoulders and you learn how to control this emotions faster than you can realize.

I am back on track now, and hopefully this time will be better.

“The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it...” 
― Nicholas Sparks, At First Sight

“‎Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning... Anyone can start over and make a new ending.” 
― Chico Xavier

“We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking.” 
― Santosh Kalwar, Quote Me Everyday

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” 
― Corrie ten Boom

I want to know more about your New Year's Resolutions and how far you have come, leave a comment below or send me an email and I will be happy to respond.

Happy Father's Day

I know we celebrate our fathers everyday but today I want to specially thank my fathers (biological and spiritual). 

To my father on this Father's Day 

My father, my hero

Always ready to listen

Patient to a fault 

Loving like no other

I love you

You are more than a father

My google map 

For your directions are right

My safe haven

Away from heart ache and troubles

I will never forget

running into your arms

And hearing those words

"My beautiful"

Always and forever my love

A hundred thousand miles apart 

But you're still close by

Your ways are in me

I still hear his voice 

Directing me 

I cry, you cry

I laugh, you laugh

For all you want is 

to see me happy 

I love you

I still feel your hand of discipline 

I can still hear your voice of rebuke 

When I misbehave 

But your warm embrace

Is the best of it all

My father, 

May God bless you for me

May God guide your way

And keep you

My father, I love you...

Happy Father's Day to every father out there. We love you!!! 

How to Make Your Resolutions Stick

       It has been over two weeks into the new year and I bet some people have already forgotten their New Years resolutions. Those who already forgot are mainly in these categories: 

- they wanted to join the conversation about the trending topic #newyearsresolution

- they wanted to tell the world about their new plans

- they want to change but ...

       Forgetting is very easy but we can remembering our plans even more easier. If you really want to make your New Years resolution stick through out the year, here are some fun ways to go about it.

Make it a Picture

        You know how we take pictures of our loved ones or of ourselves, print it out, put it in a frame and keep on our desk or beside our bed? You can do the same to your New Year resolutions. Write it down on a paper (colorful paper will work just fine), take a picture of it, print it out and put in a picture frame. You can put the paper inside a picture frame without taking a picture and printing it or even more better, use Microsoft word with a nice font style. Put the frame were you can see it when you walk in and out of the house everyday, that way you know you have something important you have to accomplish before the year runs out. 

Make it a Business Card 

        Business cards are beautiful, fun and easy to handle. You can make one using a cardboard paper or any thick paper, write your plans on it and put it in your wallet. Anytime you open your wallet you get a reminded of what you have to accomplish this year. 

Make it a Poster

         If you are an artist or you just love hanging things on your wall, you will love this one. Get an A5 paper, write your New Years resolutions and draw some designs on it. Put  it anywhere in your room. It will remind you of your years plan and also  add colour to your room. 

However you choose to remember your resolutions, faith, hope and prayer are great motivators and will go a long way in bringing your goals to life.

Let me know other ways you use to remember your new year's resolutions. Have a great week.

Making New Year Resolutions

I don't know what it is that make people feel they have to change every new year. Every 1st of January people start hearing and saying things like NEW YEAR RESOLUTION, New year, new me or new life or something else (help me out hear people). 

I don't mean to say it's a bad thing, NO, it is very good to make list of things we want to change and things we want to incorporate in our lives. The problem is out of 365 (+/-1) days in a year, we use only one or two days/weeks to deliberate on our New Year's plan. Most people go as far as writing it down (which is good), others  just say or post it on their social media pages on the 1st of January. 

If you want to make a plan, find a way to stick or don't make the plan at all. If you want to change, change! Telling the whole world you want to change won't make you change. 

What are some changes you want to make this new year? How would you be making this change?

Celebrating Nigeria at 55

Celebration mean different things to different people. To some people it means coming together as a family, singing, dancing and to others it means freedom, a means of thanksgiving, a medium of reflection of the past and a mirror into the future.

Today, celebration to Nigerians all over the world has a similar meaning: FREEDOM. Freedom from one political party always ruling, freedom from polio, and from Ebola to say the least.

We celebrate our freedom, we celebrate our lives, our choices, our Greenlands, our diversities, and our cultures. We have so many things to be thankful for, but let us not forget in our celebration, those that are poor and those that have lost everything because of Boko Haram. Those that lost someone because of the Ebola virus and other deadly diseases. Let us not forget those that cannot join us in our celebration today because of pain and sickness. 

Today we celebrate Nigeria, a blessed nation with beautiful people. We have almost everything you can think of. Please let's not think mainly about the negative things happening around us, let us dwell on the positive things that makes our lives worth living.

Long live the president 

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria 

Happy Independence Day NIGERIA!!!

Change is always Constant

Change is one thing that remains constant in our life but change keeps changing. It can be gradual or sudden. It can happen in a matter of seconds or it could take months or even years.

It can be a gradual and continuous process. People say things like "when did you start becoming this way and that way, when did you start liking that song and when did that become your favourite colour " this is because change happens gradually until it becomes something significant that people around us start noticing. Many times we don't know we are changing until it is brought to our attention by people around us. 

Change is terrifying, to ourselves and others around us. We fear that we will  become something we said we wouldn't be and sometimes we fear that we are becoming someone better than we use to be. We fear because we are loosing friends, we fear because we are becoming less focused, we are loosing important things and important people that matter.

Change is uncomfortable, it can be tedious if people pleasing is your thing as it makes you think of what people will say about you and how people will look at you when you walk pass them. 

Change can choose for you. When there is change, people tend to leave but the good ones stick around not minding if the change is good or bad. Your friends will either stay or leave depending on the kind of Change you make and the kind of people they are. 

Instead of being scared of change, become aware of it. If brought to your attention about a recent change in your life; positive or negative, take time to weigh its benefits and costs to you first because you are the most important person in your life.

Change should not stop you from been a better person or a person worthy of love so quit been terrified of change and Change for good. 

People change for different reasons; love, anger, anxiety, boredom and so on. What is your reason for changing?