HOW TO SAVE A LIFE

Gloria is a failure. She’s been a failure all her life. From primary school all through to secondary school, she’d always been an epic fail. She even failed at killing herself!

Gloria’s father has never hesitated to remind her of how much he hated her. He never failed to make her know that he wasn’t proud of her. He had given up. Since her mother’s death, she’d even become worse. Gloria’s father had brought her to yet another university admission exercise. She wanted to try one last time. But yet again, she failed. To her, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She headed back to the school’s guest house with her father but her father was too ashamed to be around her so he decided to head out again. This time, Gloria decided it was time to meet her maker. Life wasn’t worth living anymore.

Food for Thought #INSPIRATION

THIS COULD HURT YOU BADLY

Back in secondary school, I remember vividly an exam I failed woefully. I don’t remember this episode because of my failure; I remember it because of the event that led to my failure. I was negligent. I assumed. I was careless and this hurt me badly. It killed my dream. I was in my 2^nd senior year. I was aiming at claiming a prize as one of the best students in my class. I was well on track until this faithful day when I lifted my foot off the gas.

IS RELIGION KILLING US?

I AM ANGRY! I AM PISSED OFF! I am disappointed that I didn’t realize this earlier. Our religiosity is killing us. We have put too much emphasis on fate, the supernatural, predestination and all that stuff and we have forgotten that whatever becomes of us is ultimately determined by what we do.

I do not deny the impact that the unknown has on life but rather, I believe that the reason some people are where they are- in the dust- is because they have left too much to religious beliefs...

MAKE YOURSELF FEEL GOOD

There are days when I wake up in the morning and the first thought that pops into my head is a thought that gets me frustrated and feeling unhappy for the rest of the day. A thought that makes me feel inadequate. A thought that makes me like my life is utterly useless.

Nevertheless, I have come to understand myself and I have learned to take courage from who I am. When such thoughts come into my mind I just try to forget them by doing something that’ll make me feel good. I may watch a comedy or just look for a way to get a laugh. Sometimes I look for someone to talk to. Other times I just stare at myself in the mirror and admire my beauty.

We are different. We have different ways of dealing with these things. Whichever way, look for ways to always make yourself feel good. When you feel good, you I’ll be able to work better and carry out all your tasks more effectively and more efficiently. Find out what works for you and constantly practice it. MAKE YOURSELF FEEL GOOD. It’ll help our self-esteem and it will stop people and other things from trampling on your happiness.

DON’T YOU FEEL INSULTED?

One of the worst insults I have ever heard in my life is that “to hide something valuable from a black man, just put it in a book”. You’ve probably heard it before too. And it’s true. Africans don’t read. IT’S INSULTING BUT IT IS TRUE. Some of us do but reading is not in our culture. It is not part of us. I once heard a colleague say that she’d rather buy makeup products than buy books. People would rather invest more on their outward appearance than take good care of what is inside.

From what I have learned, reading a book gives you express access to the author’s knowledge. For example, if an author spends 10 years researching on and writing his book, reading it means you have gained access to 10-years’ worth of knowledge for just a few bucks. So you see, reading the right stuff doesn’t take out of you, it adds to you. It gives you access to knowledge. It improves you. It opens you up to new things and shows you how much you don’t know and how much you still need to know.

Grab a book. Develop a reading culture. You’ll be better for it. It’ll make you a better person.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE YEAR?

Counting down to the end of 2013 and I'm wondering if I have I actually achieved all I thought I would achieve when the year begun and the answer is NO! I haven't. But I still can.YOU STILL CAN!
On this first day of the 11th month, you'll need to sit down and evaluate all your choices and their effects on your life so far. Have all your choices given you the results you wanted? Have you had the year you planned to? You can still make the most of this year if you want to. It's never too late to do something you have always wanted. Have a productive November!

LET US USE OUR STORIES TO CHANGE THE WORLD

When I was much younger, my parents used to insult me. My dad repeatedly called me ‘slow’ and ‘not smart’. This gave me a low self-esteem and I only felt better talking to my friends. I would rather tell my friends my troubles than open my mouth to my parents. Only on few occasions did they ever do anything that made me happy. Aside the customary duties of parenthood, they were never close to me. Even when I had emotional breakdowns, I never let them know. I tried my best to improve but there seemed to be no room for that. Years went by and I learned to stand up for myself. I grew in confidence as I read books and listened to audio files that boosted my self-esteem. I began to take pride in my achievements. I then knew that I was made for more. Over the years, I have developed a very high self-esteem. I no longer seek to please anyone. I now know the stuff I am made of.

MONEY, POWER AND ALCOHOL

In my short time on earth, I have come to discover that most times, people are never as they seem to be. Appearances are deceiving. Most of the times, the versions of people that we meet are either "cropped and edited" or largely inexperienced in the realities of life.

People try to be what they are not and aspire to be what they shouldn’t; but then, that’s life as we know it. They say it is not good to judge people, but how can you relate and function well with someone if you haven’t judged the person’s persona and bearing in life. Shouldn’t you at least find out what type of person he/she truly is? The truth is, even the ‘best and holiest’ people may fall short (but that’s a topic for another time).

JUST 'COS YOU'RE BLIND, DOESN'T MEAN GOD ISN'T REAL

A man once stood on a soapbox at Hyde Park Corner, London, England, sneering the Christian faith. In ridicule he said: “People say that God exists; but I can’t see him. People tell me that there is life after death; but I can’t see it. People tell me that there’s a judgment to come; but I can’t see it. People tell me that there is a Heaven and a hell; but I can’t see them.” He won cheap applause and climbed down from his ‘pulpit’.

Another man struggled to climb on to the soapbox. “People tell me that there is green grass all around, but I can’t see it. People tell me that there is blue sky above, but I can’t see it. People tell me there are trees nearby, but I can’t see them. You see, I am blind.”

Today, we come across an alarming number of people who question God’s existence, saying that God is just a myth because no one has ever seen Him and because their minds are too little and too limited to fathom the existence of this magnificent Being. However, I am fully persuaded beyond all doubt –reasonable or unreasonable- that God is real and He is forever. The things we see are temporary and they have their roots from the invisible. The things unseen are forever. However, one can never think further than he knows. Anyone who doubts God is actually an ignoramus. “The Fool says in his heart that there is no God.”

God is real and Jesus is real. They are more real than even your own existence as a human being. He paid the price for our sins so He can be our Friend and Father again. His grace is available for us all.

VALUE YOUR TIME...AND PEOPLE WILL VALUE IT

Frankly, I’m tired of people popping into my life at odd times and expecting me to do their bidding. They act like they are the boss of me and like they own me or something! How I hate it when people just disrupt a day I’ve planned ahead of me, making me do things they probably can do by themselves.

Truth is, I don’t blame them, and it’s actually my fault. It’s because I’ve failed to draw boundaries in my relationships with others. I’ve failed to make the “don’t cross this line” areas known to them, so they just come in and go out as often as they want.

If only I can set boundaries in the use of my time, people will respect it more and in the process, respect me more also. They will know when it’s ‘me time’ and when it’s ‘us time’. But the thing is it’s easier said than done. I know I need discipline and courage to stand up to my friends and ward them off at the times I need to be alone, the times I need to think for me and enjoy the sound of silence and peace.

Until I can do this, they’ll just keep taking me for granted and I’ll just keep wasting precious time trying to live my life for others instead of for myself forgetting that “time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” -Carl Sandburg

WHAT YOU GAIN BY FORGIVING PEOPLE

Why do I have to forgive someone who has obviously wronged me? Why do I have to apologize sometimes to people even when I’m not at fault? Well, from my own understanding, I know that forgiveness is solely an act of selfishness. Yes, it is selfish to forgive.

Forgiveness doesn’t add anything to the person I’m holding the grudge against. Forgiveness only gives me peace of mind. It helps me concentrate fully even when the person who annoyed me steps into the room. Forgiveness mops up the awkwardness attached to such situations.

No one is worth holding a grudge against. You must never allow another human dictate your mood. Don’t let another human being determine when you should or should not be happy. You must never sacrifice your joy and happiness for the sake of flimsy emotions. Stop holding grudges.

Make up your mind to forgive people even before they offend you. It costs you nothing to forgive, but it might cost you everything valuable not to forgive people. Don’t let quarrels and arguments that are bound to happen get in the way of your freedom.

It’s so bad that unforgiveness makes God not to forgive your own wrongs. When you refuse to forgive people, God will not forgive your sins (Matt. 6:15). It doesn’t profit you anything if you are unforgiving but it will cost you a lot.

Choose to be free. Choose to be happy. Choose to forgive. It helps a lot.

WILL PRAYER SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS?

Image Source: Ofilispeaks.com

Nigeria has more churches per square mile than almost any other country in the world, why have our fortunes not changed? We pray all day and night but stand and hope, waiting for miracles to happen? I agree with Okechukwu Ofili when he wrote “if the amount of times a nation prays was directly proportional to its success and prosperity, then Nigeria will be #1 in Africa the world. But unfortunately, we are not. This is because prayer is not the key. It is actually an excuse that conditions us to wait around for someone else to solve our problems. It has made us a lazy nation.”

Yes! Religion has made us lazy as a nation. A nation so endowed, so blessed, but look where we are! Day after day we pray to a God who has long answered our prayers and is patiently waiting for us to realize it. Year after year churches hold crusades and prayer sessions for a nation that has simply refused to realize that God has long delivered her from her calamity but He’s waiting, hoping we shall soon see the truth and embrace it; hoping we’ll see the truth and act on it rather than lazing around.

Prayer certainly is not the key to solving our problems any more. America probably doesn’t have as many churches as we do but are undoubtedly light years ahead of us. WAKE UP NIGERIA! and take hold of what is yours! If we listened to God well enough, we’d probably hear the truth that He has since answered our prayers but we need to work and stop lazing around. Prayer is not the key…prayer with LOTS (intentionally capitalized) of action is the key! (Adapted from Ofilispeaks)