W.O.E

Hello Darlings,

Today is the last day of October 2016!

First of all, I thank God for a great month and a beautiful and successful year so far, ups and downs included. You see, I’ve learnt that no matter what happens, it’s all part of the great story of my life, so bring it on Life!

Notwithstanding, if you’re like me, you’re surely doing a count-back of the past 10 months. Wondering if you’ve been able to achieve the goals you set for the year, wondering if your life is significantly (and positively) different than it was last year, analyzing if you’ve been smart enough etc.

It’s perfectly normal to do this. It’s even okay to feel a little (hopefully not ‘a lot’) disappointed about your present situation. I can’t count the number of times I’ve looked back at my year and after reminiscing, my mood turns sour. ‘Cause I always feel I should be doing more, achieving more, gaining more strides and so forth (thank God these days, I’m learning to go at God’s pace, not mine).

I want you to chew on words of encouragement today. I hope they bolster your spirit, give you that drive you need, renew your hope and fire you on this week, and for the rest of the year. I believe in God, I believe in you, I believe in us, I believe you aint seen nothing yet! THE BEST IS YET TO COME…and yes, it can come before the end of this year.

Hold on, Be strong, Be happy, Don’t lose your joy.

REST

That’s one word we hear and use a lot, but when was the last time we actually rested?

WHAT  IS ‘REST’?

Are you sure you know?  I don’t think many of us know what it is anymore. We have illusions about it, but have we really thought about what it is?

• 1.       It’s not binge-watching all the Series/Soaps you missed during the week.
• 2.       It’s not hanging out with friends.
• 3.       It’s not cooking a lot of food (or ordering a lot of food) to eat.
• 4.       It’s not going from one religious activity or the other.
• 5.       It’s not trying to catch up on more work.
• 6.       It’s DEFINITELY NOT being glued to your smart phone every second to register your presence with  all the social network sites (like you need to pay homage or ‘they’ will abandon you).

I checked the Thesaurus, it defines Rest as the following:

• ·         The refreshing quiet or repose of sleep.
  
• ·         Refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion of labour
  
• ·         Relief or freedom, especially after anything that wearies, troubles or disturbs.
• ·         A period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude or tranquility.
  
• ·         Mental or spiritual calm.

The Cambridge dictionary defines it as;

• ·         To cause someone or something to stop doing a particular activity or stop being active for a period of time in order to relax and get back your strength.

See that? The common factor of both definitions and explanations are these words “Inactivity”, “repose”, “stop being active”, “to refresh”.

So I ask again, do we know what REST means? When last did we truly rest? You think resting is for sissies? Think again. 

Resting is very important. I mean, even if you’re working so hard because you have this ultimate game plan to be a millionaire before you’re 30, bravo! But unless you want your ‘family members’ ,  a few enemies and  previously unknown sympathisers to enjoy the eventual fruit of your labour (since your body has given out and you’re now resting in The Lord, that is), you need to learn to chill right now. Your body needs it, your mind needs it, your health demands it.

I know the usual arguments:

• 1.       “It’s not my fault, I always have so much to do”
• 2.       “Do you think I don’t want to rest? but people around me keep disturbing me for one thing or the other”
• 3.       “I work so much during the week, so I have only the weekend to take care of all the other things I neglected”
• 4.       “I want to rest, I just don’t have time”

Let me ask you this question; If your doctor told you your heart will literally stop beating unless you take a day off,  I bet no matter what you have to do, who you absolutely need to see, where you totally must go, that event that must not be missed, your uber-busy schedule will magically clear up, won’t it? You will find time to rest for a day (or 2, or 3).  

So why wait till your mental, physical or spiritual health is threatened?

Please My Darlings, learn to rest. Let this weekend be the beginning of a new era for you. The present needs you, the future is waiting for you and you didn’t go through all that in the past, just to keel over prematurely.

Here is what rest looks like (for those who have forgotten).

Rest, I say, REST!!

Have a blissful weekend. 

MONDAY: For and Against.

WORK.  It’s Monday again and I can almost hear the deep sighs and long groans. In fact, some people (for the umpteenth time) have decided ‘not to work so hard this week’, to ‘take it easy this week’. Well, I wish you success with that.  I do want you to learn to take it easy ALWAYS, but I also want you to give life (and your goals) your best shot ALWAYS.

My Personal Motto: Work Hard, Play Harder.

In the spirit of play, let’s do a little fun game this morning. I did a little research into those who love Mondays and those who don’t; The For and Against groups.

Now, decide which group makes you laugh the most (or at least put the biggest smile on your face) as you prepare to have a blessed week.

You’ll know which one stands for ‘For’ and which one is for ‘Against’ by the tone, words and faces of the pictures.

Choose which group you belong to. Choose wisely, have fun, Here we go!!!

So, with all these arguments, we can factually say The 'For' gang have it? Yay? Nah?

Make your feelings known in the comments section...or personally savour your thoughts. Whatever you do, own this Monday, live it, love it. It's the key to kick-starting your awesome week.

Have a blessed week Darlings! God bless you!

Laughter, The Origin?

Hello Darlings!

I was watching an incredibly funny Series last night and laughing my heart out, enjoying every moment of it. When I stopped, it got me thinking about the concept of laughter in itself; What is it really? Is there an origin?

I know the scientists in the house are already mumbling scientific explanations about muscles in the body, chemical reactions blah blah blah But bear with me, once my curious mind latches on to something, I go on a research spree! So, I googled the ‘origin of laughter’ and some of what I read had me laughing.

One evolution-based theory claims;

'Our primate ancestors (theirs, not mine!) have been laughing for 10 million years. The first hoots of laughter from an ancient ancestor of humans rippled across the land at least 10 million years ago according to a study of giggling primates' (I wonder who went to study the primates 10 million years ago and recorded them giggling).

Another Researcher has his own theory about the act of laughter. A little disturbing in how it’s explained though;

'Unvocalized panting occurs in response to surprise. This panting is part of a generalized increase in physiological arousal. Like the gaping mouth of the “surprised” face, panting prepares the animal for action'. (Methinks the Researcher’s mind was on something else when he was asked to explain the concept of laughter. That entire research had the words ‘Vocalized and Unvocalized panting’ coming up continuously).

I couldn’t believe the thousands of research that had been done over the years to explain Laughter. It surprised me, I honestly wasn’t expecting to find much, but I found stuff dating back to the 19^th Century! Wow! I won’t bore you further with more research results and explanations.

My thoughts are; Attempting to technically explain the meaning or discover the origin of laughter makes the whole concept boring. It’s good to laugh, it’s fun, God gave us the ability, so why not? Everyone enjoys humour, that’s why no matter how rigid or absolutely disciplined we are, we can’t resist the power of good comedy. Comedy is one genre that never fails. 

To you My Darlings, I want you to laugh this week. It’s the best medicine, one of the greatest therapies and a food for the soul. It refreshes your spirit, makes you look younger and puts you in a blissful cocoon.

Some people find it hard to laugh, they always have this hard expression that says “What’s funny?” (To those people, I want you to send me a personal mail, I believe I have a way of getting you to loosen up. Truly).

In conclusion,

Have a Humour-filled, highly productive week Dears!

Who Are You Really?

I’m one of the biggest preachers of ‘Be happy, Stay happy’.

This morning, I thought about the word ‘Happy’ and realised it doesn’t have a clear-cut formula for it. I mean, I can’t go to someone and say “Do this and that and you’re 100% guaranteed happiness”. Happy means different things to different people. What makes one person happy might be absolutely irritating to the next person. Notice how many times I’ve said happy? Yeah, that’s how indefinable the word is.

I don’t know, perhaps there’s someone out there who has a definition that can apply to everyone, if there is one, I’d like to know. It will light up the world we live in right now. There’s too much sadness and pain as it is.

So, thinking about it, I’ve come to a conclusion that happiness is personal to individuals. It doesn’t mean it can’t be achieved, it just means we need to know what makes us happy, find it and hold on to it. I discovered that one of the greatest obstacles to our happiness is PEER PRESSURE (No, don’t sneer, adults go through it too, it’s not only for the kids).

1.       We need to learn how to say ‘NO’ to those things that hurt us and ‘YES’ to the things we truly want.

2.       Don’t try to impress others, so they think you’re cool (when you’re truly dying inside) and you’d rather be somewhere else.

3.       Don’t do what everyone else is doing, stuff you take no pleasure from, just so you don’t feel left out. Let them call you boring but if it’s reading a book (or watching old movies) throughout the weekend that lights up your spirit, dear friend, go for it!

4.       I always say this and I’ll say it again; Stop comparing your life to others, you don’t know what they’re about. Focus on you and yours.

5.       Be thankful and grateful always. Stop trying to ‘fix yourself’, What are you? A constantly faulty machine?

6.       You’re perfect the way you are. Trust me, you might get to the other side of the fence and realise the grass is only greener because of fake fertilizer which has caused many diseases.

7.       If your friends always make you feel less, then what are you doing? You should have found new friends by now. And if you’ve discovered you don’t do well with friends, stop having close friends and focus on having many friendly acquaintances (‘cause no man is an island anyway).

8.       Discover WHO YOU ARE, that’s the most important thing.

The last point might sound so simple but so many of us have spent a major part of our lives trying to be someone else, we don’t know who we are anymore. What makes you unique? If I was to ask you to write a composition about yourself, how will you start? And what words will stand out? Will you start by describing physical attributes or will it be character?...hmmm, I hear someone thinking; what’s the difference? Does it matter? It does. A LOT.  It shows what’s more important to you in how you see yourself.

Consider the points above, look at the life you live presently, have you clipped your wings because of so many years of trying to conform to who you think you should be? Have you let yourself soar? There’s so much to you, you haven’t even discovered yet. You’d be surprised how much God has deposited in you, talents/gifts you haven’t even explored. You can NEVER be anyone else; God didn’t make a mistake when He made you (Even with all your quirks and ‘imperfections’).

My final thoughts; Friend, know thyself! Find what (or who) makes you happy, embrace it (or the person), hold on tight to it (or the person), never let it (or the person) go. (A quick one though, don’t base your happiness too much on someone else, only God can fill that role perfectly)

At the end my friends, perhaps together, we’ve just discovered the formula to happiness after all huh? *wink*

Have a great week My Dears!

Be Happy, Stay Happy! Share the love too.

Stop!...smell the ROSES.

Living…or Waiting?

What if you never get everything you want in life? What if you never get that one most precious thing you’ve been asking God for? What then? I can hear someone (or even people) say “God forbid!, I will get it. It will happen” But I ask again; WHAT IF IT NEVER HAPPENS?

Work with me a little. Give yourself a minute. Think about it…think about it really well (remember, this isn’t me trying to wish you evil or as they say, ‘swear for you’)…have you thought about it? Ready?...okay, let’s gist.

Every human being wants something, in fact, we never stop wanting till we die; A new height to reach, a new mountain to overcome, a new goal to achieve. But for every human, there’s always that ONE NEED that surpasses all others. You tell yourself “when I get this, then I’m absolutely fulfilled. I’m complete” (And no, I’m not talking about the need to be closer to God. Let’s not pretend).

That ONE NEED/WANT? That’s the one I’m talking about. It’s that thing you’ve been praying and hungering for, we all have it (Myself included). It’s that thing you’ve put your life on hold for. You're absolutely focused on it.

Yeah, you wake up every morning and go through the motions of living, but ARE YOU REALLY LIVING? Or are you subconsciously waiting to have ‘it’ and then boom! Life’s a party!

If you’ve been stuck in this zone, PLEASE WAKE UP!  What if you never get it? Will you live the rest of your life not enjoying your life? Not having fun? Not stopping to appreciate the beauty of the roses around you, but ALWAYS thinking about ‘the one thing’ which will make life better, that will make you ‘complete’?

Okay, let me flip the question; What if you get it and realise it’s not giving you the ‘completeness’ and ‘total joy’ you thought it would? What then?...think about it…think about it really well. Take a minute if you need to. It feels like a total disappointment right? Imagine you’ve spent the major part of your life on this journey to seek ‘The Thing’…phew, bummer.

You see,  Happiness? Satisfaction? It starts with you. It begins with your perception about yourself. It starts with you looking inwards. You might not know it, but that ‘one thing’ you need so badly is simply How to love yourself, How to live and appreciate your life to the fullest, irrespective of what you have or don’t have (or who you have or don’t have). If you’ve been putting your life on hold, waiting till the situation is perfect, then you’ve been cheating yourself and it’s not fair on you.

There’s so much more to you than the cage you’ve put yourself in. There’s so much of you, you haven’t explored/experienced yet. You’re more than you think you are, you’re more successful than you think you are, your life is more beautiful than you think, you’re the envy of many around you (and you don’t even know it! Ha!), you’re better than this, you’re a warrior, stop behaving like a victim of life! Put on your boxing gloves and punch the joy back into you!

 WAKE UP!   LIVE!    SMILE!    BE HAPPY!   STOP WAITING!    START DOING!

Happy New Month Darlings!

Have a most exciting Week!