It’s Check-up Time!

It’s Check-up Time!

“The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.”
---J.M. Barrie, The Little Minister

Our society is so caught up in winning; we forget that most of the great men and women in history have, at one time or another, failed at something. Often repeatedly, and discouragingly. But each failure is nothing more than a brick in the wall that forms the foundation of our success. We can’t forget that.
---Carlton Young

I will start with one of my favourite verses from the Bible which says ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom’, this verse resounds in my heart at every single time my heart is quickened to browse through my life and take account of the events that has taken place in my life; counting my blessings, learn from my failures and get recharged to move on and give all my energy to things that helps me realize my goals in life and having fulfillment in all areas of my life. This verse has dwelt with me for a very long time since i understood its value to man’s life and what impact it would have in any man’s life, if properly understood. It makes me realize that , i get older in age every day, i should be wise enough to work towards becoming better, greater, richer, happier, making my life count, be a light to the world, salt of the Earth and a blessing to mankind.

For every man to live a purpose-driven life, it is very important that we examine our yesterday, evaluate our today and analyze the picture of the future for our lives and this is what i call the check-up time. This is a time for meditation, when you should open your heart to the forces of the universe to see beyond your failures, rejection, reproach, setbacks, low self-esteem, hindrances and any trash in your life, because they are just the burning flame that brings the purest and priceless precious stones out of the treasure site of your life. A time to be happy, for the successes, breakthrough, progress, insignificant achievements and notable attainments, an outcome of your unending energy and persistence on target towards making your goals in life a reality. Finally, i see check-up time as a time when you retrace your step back to the path of your dreams, pick yourself up, put on the armor of faith, empower and enrich yourself, and be ready to overcome the future challenges and contributing to happiness and peace for humanity. I call Check-up time a time to starve your weaknesses and feed your strength for the next phase of life.

There is something very important that every man must tap into, which is observing quiet times, this is when you can learn from the past and stay focus looking into the future, it is a time when you put your hindsight, foresight, insight to play and ensure your eyesight do not deceive you.

That Little Thing!

That Little Thing!

"I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth I will apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy."
--- Og Mandino

There are many wonderful things that will never be done, if you do not do them.
--- Charles D. Gil

There is one thing that amazes me about life, it is its unpredictable events that surpasses human well-outlined plans, decisions and our perfectly designed actions for tomorrow, which we don’t even have an idea how it will in totality go and end when the sun that rose comes to set. Great and successful people have been wise enough to stay on top of their situation by doing those little things that may not be beneficial today but may serve a purpose tomorrow; they believe that, the little thing today may be the big thing tomorrow, which would be their source of strength and power when weakness set in; their rescue force when all hope is lost. As a player in the game of life, it should be written on the tablet on your mind that every little thing counts!

As a child begins to have a sense of what life is, it is a clear truth that he/she will begin to imagine him/herself growing into someone that interest him/her; into whom he/she have great likes for. As a little child, you and i have a dream of looking a certain way as we ride into the unknown future. We have aspiration for a certain level of success and fulfilment in our lives, this is built based on the environment we live in, the people that surrounds our life or that we have an opportunity to know their stories and achievements in life, and to crown it all the information that we allow to gain dominance on our mind and characterise our heart, this gives a definition of me and you. These have great impact on how we see life, the choices we make, decisions we take and what our values are?

Olamide drops two videos off his BGEL album

It dropped last night. Hot track from BGEL album, Olamide dropped two videos "Anifowose" and "Sitting On The Throne". Watch Vidoes below.

Anifowose Sitting on the throne

Dr. Willie Obiano sworn-in as Anambra state Governor

Yesterday was a day never to forget for the winner of the Anambra States gubernatorial election in November 2013, Dr. Willie Obiano as he was sworn in as Governor of state at the Alex Ekweume Square in Akwa.

The inaugural session was witnessed by the outgoing Governor, Peter Obi, important dignitaries such as Senator Ben Obi, Special Adviser to the President on Inter-party Affairs, who said that Obi will soon join the Federal Executive Council, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, Senator Maggery Okadigbo, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen Azubuike Ihejirika, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu among other dignitaries as well as the People of Anambra state. Continue to see more photos after the cut...

Mick Jagger's designer girlfriend L'Wren Scott found dead.

L'Wren Scott, designer girlfriend of Rock star Mick Jagger was found dead in her Manhattan apartment today Monday March 17th. The 49year old designer, who recently cancelled her fashion show in London, was found by her assistant hanging by a scarf around 10am in her luxury apartment.

Medical Examiner has not yet released the formal report but the police do not think any foul play was involved though.

From the stables may her gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

Ekiti State's Commissioner Arrested For Beating NYSC Member.

Police in Ekiti has arrested the state’s Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr. Kayode Olaosebikan, for questioning over the beating up of a NYSC member at a registration unit in Otun Ekiti, Moba LGA of the state, Vanguard reports.

Olaosebikan (pictured above), who is also the Chairman, NYSC board in the state, was seen at the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, making his statement.

Olaosebikan allegedly beat up a youth corps member, Mr. Thompson Enobong, NYSC number EK/13c/1859, who is one of the NYSC members assisting INEC in the just-concluded registration.

Enobong was subsequently rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Ido Ekiti, where he is said to be receiving treatment.

THE DARKEST PLACE IN YOUR HEART

THE DARKEST PLACE IN YOUR HEART

If we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. - 1 John 1:9, TLB 

“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson,

“When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object.” 
― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The strangest fact about life is that all man has a dark spot in their heart, which they are just too scared and shy to let light shine on. Every man loves to be seen as perfect and blameless, when we are indeed imperfect, our struggle to be perfect and spotless is one big race that will not end until each man breath his/her last breath. I have seen that there is no one man on Earth that do not have a particular dark place in his/her heart which on every single day of their life that they try not let it erupt and destroy their image and perception of people about them. We all loved to be cherished and celebrated and this is the single reason we keep the darkest place in our heart from those who loves us, because we think and do believe they would stop to love us and desert us.

The darkness in your heart does not directly mean that you are a bad person or that you are full of bad intentions and you possess the ability to do evil. The darkest place in your heart could be in different form, i have a list of some and I know you know which one you are suffering from or that you can’t seem to get out of the net of the frustration from it. Anger, low-self esteem, impatience, jealousy, envy, selfishness, sorrow, pain of loss, back-biting, feeling of insecurity, trauma of one-time mistake, unforgiving spirit, hatred, and so on, the list is endless. You may have been struggling with eliminating this from your life and your heart desire is to banish this darkness from your life forever, so that you can have peace and be happy again.

You may have some people you have been looking up to as role model and mentor, and right there in your mind you feel they perfect and blameless. If they are been interviewed, and they are ready to pour out their mind sincerely, it would be greatly surprising and shocking for you to find out that, there are lots of things they concealed in the darkest place of their heart. These things they concealed in the darkest place of their heart, beats them real hard in the corner of their room when no one happens to be there. This is the reason why you have to be happy and see that you are not alone in this ship, everyone suffers from this plague that we allow to manipulate our lives, into a direction we don’t want to thread.

The life of man would be peaceful and full of happiness if we can stop to deceive ourselves by refusing to pose as perfect and blameless. We are faced with great fear and the challenge that someone could blackmail and hunt us, if we let out those secrets we keep in the darkest place of our heart, this dirty secrets keeps killing us softly because we remain in its claws as long as we choose to remain there. If you will agree with me, you will know that for every element of darkness you allow in your heart, more will creep in and pile up to frustrate you and break you down. You will not be free until you banish the darkness and let light have its place in your heart again.

Can you imagine how sweet, beautiful and peaceful your life would be if you can eliminate the darkness in your heart? How lovely would it be if we refuse to continue acting like we can be really perfect, spotless and blameless? Our joy will know no bound if we can openly confess our misdeeds, work on our short-comes and we love, understand and take each other for whom everyone is. Many events or attitudes that cause a lot of people to be depressed and eventually breaks them down is as a result of everyone trying to display self-righteousness and stigmatizing whoever makes a mistake. A lot of people have huge block of ice in their eyes but concentrate more in the drop of water in the eyes of another man. What a crazy world we live in? People cover their dirty secrets and announce other people’s slight mistakes.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said and I quote “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Dear friend, no matter what you locked up in the darkest place of your heart, you have control over it and you have the power to make it vanish from there. You can seek the help of trustworthy people, let it out, do everything to overcome it and you are a free man. If your mind and heart is free from darkness, you will be happy and joyful you did because you are indeed a man of integrity and your heart becomes sacred. It may sound too tough to attempt but better is the man who faced his challenges and overcame than a man who continues to live in fear and die of it. You are free and happier than any man on Earth who is seen by the world as perfect and blameless but still goes around with piles of shits in the dark places of his heart. The world may criticize you because that is not method of the world we are now but you have distinguished yourself by making light shine again in the dark places of your heart.

Every darkness in your life can be replaced with light; don’t let your heart continue to have dark spots, take it out. It is a sweet thing if you can forget the deepest pain in your heart, overcome your weakness and gain freedom from those thoughts that have formed a big dark cloud in your heart.

God wants you to draw nearer and come closer to Him; He is forever dear to you. He is the best confidant you have got, confess your sins and tell Him of your weakness, He will forgive you, strengthen you and restore peace, light and joy into your heart.

God Loves ♥ You

Ogundipe Clement Shola

shollyclem@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/ogundipe.c.shola

Don’t Burn Out!

Don’t Burn Out!

Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you.
---Frank Tyger

"Success is not a destination: It is a journey. The happiest people I know are those who are busy working toward specific objectives. The most bored and miserable people I know are those who are drifting along with no worthwhile objectives in mind."
---Zig Ziglar

It is so amazing that many people have been able to get this far to where they are today, celebrating that they are a year older every new year and have been able to do many little things successfully until now, and still don’t trust that ability to go on when that feeling of burning out creep in. Man has been designed to be able to do great and mighty things they cast their mind on, even those things our mind cannot quantify and in our own reasoning, which we feel our strength can’t actualize.

We always feel excited when we initially set our goals and we cook up plans to achieve them. After a while the feelings of burning out before actualizing the goals start to find its way into your heart and cloud your beautiful imagination of the colorful success and fulfillment that comes with reaching your goals. The ill-thought of not being good enough to make it happen and fit to accomplish all the phases of the plans you set to get your goals realized, always come to attack your mind to hold you back from going on, it comes to make you feel burnt out. 

Many times when you start to have that feeling of burning out, it is because of the things you allowed, growing on your mind. Our mind is so sensitive that, every single seed of thought you allow on it, will germinate and produce a fruit showcasing the same characteristics of the seed. Great thoughts lead to great decisions; great actions emanate from great decisions and great actions breeds great results and successes; and great successes is no doubt a sweet fulfillment to man’s soul. The life we live is a product of the celebrations of thoughts on our mind. 

It can be very frustrating when you have the “I will burn out” thoughts harassing your mind. You are in charge of your mind and you alone have the key to the door at the entrance of your heart, you have a choice of allowing the good thoughts and bounce away the bad thoughts and vice-versa. This is the good news i have for you today, you are well designed, qualified and have the ability to always go on and make whatever you set your mind on come to reality. You can’t burn out, because you will not allow any negative thing to have a way into your mind. You need to fill your heart with positive thoughts, let it be the food to your soul and let it eject all negative and frustrating thoughts that tries to limit you, keep you away from your dreams and make you dump your goals. If you allow negative thoughts to keep tormenting you, it will devastate and cripple you, and you lose the happiness of continue working on your goals.

Moving on and refusing to burn out, doesn’t have to be fast and furious, slow and steady wins the game, has ever been true. What matter most is your persistence, giving your goals, dreams and visions all it requires to make it a reality. Say to yourself, i will never burn out, i will follow my dreams till they become a reality, nothing will hinder me and i will not allow anything to frustrate my decisions and actions i take towards my goals. My watchword from now on is “No Retreat No Surrender”.

There are times when i feel like I can’t go on anymore and the feeling of burning out starts to creep in, then i remember the saying in Portuguese “Aluta Continua Victoria Ascerta” which means “Struggle continue, Victory is certain”, this always keep me going because the more i try and keep on, the higher my assurance of success. Every good thing in life comes with its challenges, and you must be ready to pay the sacrifice to see your goals to the end and then you have a cause to celebrate.

Success is a journey and you have to continue on your voyage without fear and doubt with great enthusiasm, determination and diligence. Happy people are people that continue working on little things that contribute to the success of their goals, dreams and visions in life, how fast you are doesn’t matter but you have to get there. You can only be miserable in life when you have no meaningful or worthwhile thing you do to make your life go on. Don’t stop doing even those meaningful little things now, they add up to make you have a fulfilled ending.

Don’t burn out, just fire on, even if it is slow and steady. Keep your little light shinning, the world would have no choice but notice you. You are blessed in the day and Night to do the unthinkable!

God Loves ♥ You

Ogundipe Clement Shola

shollyclem@gmail.coM

www.facebook.com/ogundipe.c.shola 

The Pain And Gain of Getting Better

The Pain And Gain of Getting Better

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
---Dale Carnegie

There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no insurmountable barrier except our own inherent weakness of purpose.
---Elbert Hubbard

There is always room for advancement and being a better version of what you are right now, it only requires you to be open-minded, determined and ready to stretch and grow beyond your limitations. It is possible that you are already frustrated with the knowledge that you can always do or become better than you were because you feel tied, limited and can’t seem to get out of your comfort zone.

You have heard, read, and even discussed with people over and over again the need to always work to be better in not just one area of your life but in every ramifications of your life. And at times you just get confused and don’t know what else to do, because you are comfortable with whom you are now and don’t feel the need to stretch and be better. It is fun to just sleep, wake and just do whatever pleases you but life demand more from us, life needs us to grab our destiny in our hands and if we fail to do this, life will reshape our life into what we least imagine.

At a point in my life, i do feel, what is the point in struggling to be better, if all this would become meaningless someday when i am gone from the surface of the Earth, but, this thought were when i had shallow understanding about life. Life requires us to be better and make the world a better place before we leave and bid the world good bye. Our death someday, is a signal that someone great was here, contributed his/her quota to changing the world for better and left for others who are still alive to continue till their exits too. If we start to carry this believe we would do greater exploits and we would find it interesting to making the world better place because the world becomes a better place when we are better. A better you and I, a better world.