9 Things I Love About Asa

Asa by Nicolas Esposito

So this morning, I woke up to grate okra to make soup and whilst doing that I had Asa's Bed of Stone album softly from my laptop. I love Asa for many reasons which I will share in this article but Bed of Stone made me love her the more. I have been a fan of Asa for at least 6 years. Ever since I heard her first album (Asha) I knew she was something. So, in honor of this wonderful artiste and lady, I list out 9 things I love about Asa:

Madison Robinson: Millionaire at 15

Image Source: FishFlops

That day in 2006, Madison sat in her home doodling on paper and as her dad walked in she said to him, “Look dad, Fish Flops”. Madison probably wouldn’t have anticipated so much success from designing flip flops (or slippers as we like to call them here in Nigeria). Her company, FishFlops®, has now made over $1 million in sales and she was just 15 (now she's 16). Madison has struck deals with more than 60 stores, including Macy’s and Nordstrom, to sell her flip flops.

12 Important Things to Note from KFC’s Beginnings

Image Source: Act Two Magazine

1. Harland Sanders’ idea for a restaurant was based on customers’ suggestions. In the 1930s, Harland was running a petrol station along a road in Corbin, Kentucky. Whenever customers came to his filling station to buy petrol, they would ask where they could get food from nearby. From many questions and conversations about this, he opened his first restaurant in the front room of the petrol station.

5 Factors That Characterized Adidas at the Start

Image Source: Wax Wane

1. Passion. Adolf Dassler (Adi) was an enthusiastic sportsman who had passion for extreme sports. Adi even built his own ski jump. Adi was a runner as well and this enabled him to spot a gap in the sports market: the need for more quality sports shoes. In starting your own business, you must make sure that you begin something that you have strong passion for.

Millionaire at 21, Bankrupt at 22: Andrew Thompson’s Story

Image Source: Mail Online

Andrew Thompson’s story is a perfect plot for any movie that would be titled ‘There Today, Gone Tomorrow’. By the time he was 21, Andrew had amassed a $2.5 million fortune. This money he made from advertising revenues from his website, MySpaceSupport.com. The website was created to help Myspace users to decorate their pages. Andrew gathered many Myspace friends and would market his site to them.

Why Perfection is an Enemy of Progress

Image Courtesy of JamesWoodward

If you have ever read about God’s creation of the earth, you will find that after each element or creature was created, save for the firmaments (or skies), He would always say it was good. He never said any of it was perfect. It’s not that God couldn’t make these things perfect (because I know he could have) but He made them ‘good’ for reasons. He made them ‘good’ so that the man He created wouldn’t be idle. If everything was perfect upon creation, man would have no chance to invent and create things and improve life. He would have just been roaming the Garden of Eden eating and talking to animals with nothing particularly exciting to face as a challenge or so.

You must have heard this said many times that ‘no one is perfect’ or that ‘no one can be perfect’. This is true and I do not dispute it. Nevertheless, we must realize that this is so because if God had created us perfect we would have no need to improve ourselves (taking into account the sin of Adam through his freewill). There would be no room for us to become better people. Different people view man’s imperfection in their own different ways. Some see it as a disease which needs to be cured. Some see it as a defect which they can do nothing about and so just walk around with the ‘no one is perfect so don’t judge me’ mentality. There are also people who see our imperfection as a default defect that constitutes a vital part of who we are, and in essence they just try to live with it and manage it. They are not particularly committed to improving themselves. They are the ones with the ‘that’s just how I am, I can’t change who I am’ mentality.

The Law of Consequences (in Life and Business)

Source: b5z

The Law of Consequences states that the value and importance of a task or goal is determined by the seriousness of its consequence if it is completed or not completed in due time. According to Brain Tracy, a task for which there are few, if any consequences, is by definition not particularly important. Therefore, for you to be more effective in life, you must aim at spending more time on the tasks that can have the greatest possible consequences.

Why Time Management is Difficult for You

Source: Freelancingandmore.com

Everyone knows that the level of your success and productivity in life and in all your endeavors is directly, and greatly influenced by your ability to manage time. It’s not just important to learn to manage your own time, but that of your coworkers, colleagues, friends and fellow students. However, you must know that time is a wild beast that can never be tamed. What I am saying therefore, is that it is impossible to ‘manage time’.

The Inevitability of Fear

Source: Isabelle Allende http://lovequotes.symphonyoflove.net/

All intelligent people are afraid of something. Remember, we have defined intelligence as “acting in a way that is consistent with set goals”. Thus, an intelligent person is one who constantly acts in ways that is consistent with achieving his or her set goals. There is no human being that is devoid of fear. As humans, it is only natural and normal for us to be concerned about things pertaining to our survival or subsequent breakthrough; that’s how we’re wired. A courageous person isn’t usually the one who isn’t afraid. In fact, Mark Twain, the US writer and humorist expressed that “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear- not absence of fear.

Intelligence Has Little to Do with IQ

Source: www.chacha.com

I am currently reading a book, ‘Goals!’ by Brian Tracy and over the next few weeks, the articles I will be uploading with be based on and adapted from the book. It is one book I recommend to everybody that cares to make progress in life and career. Whilst reading this book, I came across a new definition of intelligence that first intrigued me, then encouraged me. It intrigued me initially because I was always under the impression that intelligent people were the ones who had been proven to know more and be smarter than others and it encouraged me because, after looking at this definition of intelligence, I realized that I am actually more intelligent that I gave myself credit for. Thus, after reading this excerpt, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to become more intelligent or you want to remain as you are.

10 Leadership Lessons from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (The Movie)

Source: oyster.ignimgs.com

1. The greatest leaders in the world did not just lead people. They led movements, revolutions and ideologies.
2. Madiba was a selfless leader.
3. Madiba was courageous. He was courageous enough to stand by his vision for South Africa. He was courageous enough to stand for peace when the people demanded war.
4. Madiba was confident in the ideology he stood for: the ideology of freedom for his people.
5. The road to greatness is never ending and always lonely.

Now That I'm a Graduate...

Source: www.busigence.com

I'm glad. I'm happy. I'm elated. By God's grace and mercy, I have bagged my first degree. I can't forget the feeling of satisfaction that pervaded my heart the moment our University Chancellor uttered the sentence "I accept you into your first degree" and our Registrar said "You may turn your tassels." Two days after my graduation (convocation), reality has slowly began to dawn on me. From this time henceforth, I am on my own. It's every man for himself now.

From what I've observed and what I have been told, this life I am about to commence is made up of countless people running a rat race. However, if there's anything I have come to learn from school in the last four years, it is that people who are walking in the center of God's plan for their lives do not run a rat race; albeit, they are running the marathon race of life. The night before we were released as 'Eagles' (as the graduates from my school, Covenant University, are always referred to), our Chancellor gave us 5 Perspectives for an Ever-Winning Life. I'd like to share these perspectives with you guys, hoping that you learn from and imbibe them as part of your life. Whether you are just graduating, you have just graduated, you graduated long ago or you're still an undergraduate, these five perspectives will be important to you if you must live a fulfilled life, and make heaven. They are:

LIFE LESSONS V: HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? (by Queensly Austin @AustinQueensly)

‘A true genius admits that he or she knows nothing’

Albert Einstein

This article title might bring back memories of lyrics to a song released by an artist who shares the first three letters of his stage name with a popular Nigerian gospel artist. Okay, if you still have not guessed it right, oh well!

The subject of this article lived years before our forefathers were born and was one of the closest companions of the greatest human to have walked the face of the earth. He is not the first person that will come to mind when one thinks about lowliness. Before I overwork your brain with my puzzles, let me at least solve this one for you.

4Runner (@4_Runner116) Presents: The #InfiltrationEP

EP title: Infiltration

Artist: 4Runner

He has released songs with a touch of different flavours ranging from strictly hip hop songs to afro pop songs. 4Runner released a number of singles from the Infiltration EP(Extended play) which he started working on since 2011 which enjoyed great feedback from faithful listeners and airplay on different radio stations and online radio stations and also features on blog sites. He is set to release the full package. The 8 track online version of the EP introduces us to the rappers versatility and shows a unity in diversity as he raps on different beat styles. According to 4runner as the days go by he realises the importance of living a purpose driven life and living to be who God planned for everyone to be and he was inspired to shape the theme of the project based on his discovery that there is no fun(fulfilment) in the comfort zone. He also shares a bit about some of the experiences that have shaped his life so far. The EP features talented artists like Henrisoul, Provabs, Samnem, Gabri and introduces you to more great artists. it also includes works from music producers like Encore (f.k.a Don John), Skweird, Dj Nobong, Octave. The Ep is a bag of talent. 4runner presents to you in this year 2014 his debut EP, The infiltration EP.  A non constrained rap project that can be enjoyed by people of different ages. Enjoy and do share with friends and family.

Click here to download it 

The Truth About #YOLO - Kristine Tsiknaki (@DarcRose22)

On Friday I found myself explaining what #yolo means to a new friend of mine. Out of any social context and with no knowledge of all the negative connotations the word has accumulated, he immediately found it a great word and a great mentality. This instantly reminded me of the first time I heard that word used, my first night in my student dorm in London, when all the new people got together in the common room and spent the whole night drinking, chatting and becoming friends with each other. Yolo was used in the context of ‘Don’t go to bed, have another drink and let’s do some shots’. Please, feel free to roll your eyes and say ‘students!’ with a sigh. You can imagine how it can all go downhill from there and how very soon you end up showing up in class straight from the club and desperately trying to stay awake, whilst sitting in a small table with your lecturer and the two other students who signed up for that class, till he gives up and makes you some really strong coffee. Bless him.

A Tale of Two Sick Men #BeInspired

I saw this short story on Facebook and I thought I'd be nice to share it with you. Be inspired:

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on
vacation.

LIFE LESSONS IV: HOW HANDICAPPED ARE YOU? (by Austin Queensly @AustinQueensly)

Imagine not being able to see the world around you, the beauty of nature, and the faces of your loved ones. Terrible, right?  Now throw in the inability to listen to good music, or the voices of those around you.

Well, that was the case of Helen Keller who was born with good sight and the ability to hear but lost both senses when she was 19 months old which made her situation feel even worse. Some of us may have heard the story of Helen Keller but not about the person behind her story.

It is hard enough teaching people who have their 5 senses intact and harder to teach someone with a disability. Anne Sullivan definitely had her work cut out for her with the responsibility of tutoring Helen Keller who was both blind and deaf; these two senses are unarguably the most necessary for smooth learning to take place.

WINDOW PAIN

God could feel my pain. I knew it. As I sat down staring out the window through tearful eyes, I knew it. Heaven was weeping with me as the rain drops raged at my window. I was in pain. My mind was messed up. In a few moments from now, the monster was going to come in again. It had become normal already. My innocence was long gone as my essence has since been lost. The monster never hesitated to destroy what was supposed to be my pride.

My thoughts were interrupted by the creak of the door. I didn’t look back. It was time. I simply turned and lay on my back as the monster smiled down at me. His once lovely face had now become the symbol of everything wrong with mankind. He was my hate. He was my pain. My evil and my devil. I closed my eyes then I felt his weight on the bed. Right beside me. I slowly parted my legs and he commenced his despicable act. I was silent all through. I had become accustomed to this evil. As he finished up, I closed my legs but then I heard his coarse whisper. I’m not done. “What?” my mind snapped but my mouth was too troubled and weak to utter a sound. He started removing his belt buckle and leaned into me as he finally took away all I ever was and will be. By the time all these was over, he dressed himself back. Expressionless and emotionless. As if what just happened meant nothing. As he made for the door, I mumbled: “Papa, please. Can this stop? I’m in pain”. He simply looked at me and smiled, “I know”.

The Law of Value Addition

Yesterday evening, I was returning from my college building, on the way to my hostel, and then I met a fellow who I assisted in doing his final year research project. As I saw him I waved at him and the first question I asked was: How was your project defense? His reply: It was awesome, thank you very much- with a wide smile on his face. This smile made me happy. It was obvious he was extremely happy and I felt so much joy, knowing I contributed in some way to the success of his project. It was at that moment that I made a decision in my heart: a decision to be a value-adding person. I said to myself: I want to do this for the rest of my life; I want to live to make people happy. Quite frankly, that is what the law of value addition means: making a positive difference in people lives.

LIFE LESSONS III: THE BEST LOSER by Austin Queensly (@AustinQueensly)

“You took fourth! Fourth!! What happened to the first, second or even ‘manageable’ third position!!!”

I recoiled to the sitting room to avoid my mum’s screaming but especially dreaded my father’s arrival because though I was and still am ‘daddy’s pet’, one thing is not acceptable in my home. FAILURE. And believe me; my fourth position was considered one. This memory, even after 14 years, remains ingrained in my head and with it, a fear that is now a part of my subconscious and sometimes beclouds my decision making. The fear of failure!

From my growing up years, I had this concept driven into me that failure is bad. First position in class ensured that I got a mini celebration and fourth, a strong reprimand. Don’t get me wrong because I am not condemning this method of upbringing, in fact it has made me the person I am today, always striving for excellence. However, there are always two sides of a coin.