Your environment #growth

Growth takes place in stages. You can't go from being a small boy into being a man overnight, it doesn't work like that. If something is to grow, it has to be given time and also the right environment to grow in. 

On the church bus home, I was in conversation with a fellow brother about potential and why certain footballers don't progress from being just a 'potential talent'. If we are to look at the state of the footballing world, there are many footballers who no doubt have a lot of quality and the potential to become great. The only problem is that they will never go past potential if they don't manifest themselves and grow into who they can become. 

It is considered to be one of the greatest moments of someone's life when they are given a great opportunity but in front of you, there is a lot of people in the way who are pretty much more advanced that you and henceforth you can't grow at the expected rate. 

Now, I believe that as much into lies with the person alone to want to grow, to want to move past potential, it also lies with their environment. The reason why I say this is because there are some environments that will be not conducive to their growth, in fact it will stagnate their growth. It will grow but just not as it's expected rate. 

Having potential is not enough to live on, you need to be who you were created to be. There's no doubt that we all have a lot of potential but we must go from potential to manifesting who we really are. 

Be strong, go from 'You could be great' to 'I am great'

Are you well?

Wellbeing is 'the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy'. It's a generic term for the condition where the social, financial, psychological, spiritual or medical state. This usually means that individual's condition is positive and very high.

When someone says, 'I am well' this could be an indication that they really are well but on the other hands, is it the actual truth?

Do you have perfect wellbeing? Can you honestly say that you are happy? Can you honestly say that you are in a good place right now?

Throughout your life, you will go through times where you may feel well physically but emotionally, you feel shipwrecked. There will be times where you will feel financially well but socially you're not well in that area. For one to really achieve positive wellbeing, all the different areas must be well balanced.

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at Wellbeing in several key areas. The first one is Physical............

If you have ever woke up in the morning and you feel tired, low of energy or no general interest in getting up, there could be a possibility that your body is not in a good condition. So, how can you ensure that your body is in a top condition? You can take up exercise, you can start a diet or you can just make changes to your lifestyle. There may also be a medical reason why you feel so burnt out at times so it's very wise to see your doctor so you can see if there any underlying causes.

There are different stages to attaining physical health, what's needed is maintaining regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet and the most important part, relaxation. Relaxation is something that we fail to add as part of our lifestyle. If perfect wellbeing is to be realised, then we must learn to relax and have proper rest.

Our next part will be on Emotional wellbeing. Stay tuned

The spoken word #openthoughts

A few years ago when I was in secondary school, I set up my own events management company and every month we held our own events. As it was progressing nicely, there was something my associate said to me which was "If you always say that you are sick, you will become sick"

At that time, I didn't really pay attention to it until a few years later when I came across this scripture - Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

When a man think he is unwell, he is unwell. When a man thinks of evil in his heart, that evil spirit will manifest in his life. When a man thinks that he is an outcast and so on, you will find out that he will become an outcast.
Whenever you think of these things or you speak about these things, you are planting a seed into yourself or the person you speak it over.

A seed takes time to grow and when it grows it develops roots and then you will begin to see the manifestation of that seed.

Let's look at this a little deeper.

A few years back when I was 25, my doctor diagnosed with a condition called Hypogonadism. When my doctor gave me the news, I was knocked for six and that really set me back. I was going back and forth, taking medication and going to appointments. The more I believed I had the condition, the more I was in that cycle. It got worse because I was feeling tired, no energy and I started to become quite forgetful which led to me having a scan on my brain. The results came back negative, thank God.

As I was praying for healing, I was led to declare forth my healing and declare that I don't have that condition anymore. This went on for a matter of weeks and glory to God when I went back for my tests, it was revealed that I didn't have it anymore. The condition had dissolved itself.

Whenever the doctors would tell me something was wrong, I instantly rejected it and declared that I was healed and that I was free. It worked and today I can declare that I am free from sickness. No longer am I bound by the condition.

Let's bring it back and discover that words can have a lasting effect so it's vitally important that we reject anything that wants to come against what God has planned for our lives. There is a need for us to speak positive words over our lives. Speak positive things, Think positive things and you will see it manifest in your life.

Philippians 4:8 - For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

Declare your healing today, Decree your healing today. You are free in the name of Jesus.

What words have you spoken over your life? What words have you spoken over other people's lives?What words have other people spoken over you?

The words we speak can either have a positive or negative effect. Think wisely before you speak.

I pray this has blessed someone today.  

A new Level #openthoughts

Lately, I've hated the idea of getting older and older *sighs* however that idea has now subsided and I am very much looking forward to what is going to happen next.
If you are like me, I always want to know what is happening next or what will take place so I can plan for it properly or put some contingency plan in place but lately I have just been resting in God and allowing him to take control.

I turned 29 on 1st April and I was quite excited because I had entered a new age and with that comes new opportunities but also it pushes me closer to the big age of 30.................and by this time you would expect that one would be married, have a nice house or at least be financially stable but sadly that's not the case. Pondering on that, I had a chat with God and he said that I need to trust him more and that I shouldn't worry about it too tough. With that, I am moving onto a new level and I am very excited at what God has in store.

The past year had been a year of trials, tribulations and a lot of challenges. It had it's up and downs, it had it's high and lows and there was a time I thought I wouldn't even make it to the end of 2016 but God turned it around. Those times where I couldn't see a way out, God would always make a way.

As I spent time thanking God for seeing me through another year this is the word he delivered to me

Get ready to move because I am getting ready to move to you a new level. I am getting ready to elevate you, to enlarge you, to stretch you, to challenge you and to give you new visions, ideas and dreams.

I am still celebrating my birthday however so If you would like to bless me lol God will bless you also.

Thank you for tuning in and I am looking forward to the opportunities that are going to come my way. Sooo, let's network and let's build together

#openthoughts - Play it safe

it's wiser to be cautious and careful than to be hasty or rash and so do something you may later regret

So, I was riding home on the 205 bus, a thought well it's more something my mum always said to me when I was young. 

'It's better to be safe than sorry' 

Back then, I never really understood why she said that. I honestly thought it was just a cliche but years later, the reality of it hit me for six. Yes, years later and I have finally understood why she said it. 

The phrase which I can relate it to is this one - 'Obedience is better than sacrifice'........... Let me explain why

There was a time when I had learned of someone's death and so I asked why it happened. I was informed that the person was involved in an accident and then it was said that the person wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time which contributed to their death. At the time my first reaction was one of shock and then one of sympathy. 

When you get into a car, your first initial reaction would be to make sure your safe before you start moving and that would include wearing a seatbelt. I wonder sometimes that if the person had worn their seatbelt, might they of survived the ordeal? 

It's one of those situations where following instructions would be much easier than dealing with the aftermath, We live in a society where people are told to break rules and to live life on the edge and truth be told, it hasn't done them the world of good. 

There are times in life that we just have to take the word and live by it. It really is better to be safe than sorry. 

Instructions, Commands and Guidelines are there for a reason. Let's adhere to them and be safe. 

You don't want to have to apologise to someone for causing injury or harm to their loved ones. Do all you can to make sure you are safe and that everyone is safe. 

All around you, people will tell you to do things that go against what it says on the tin. You, personally, you must do what it says on the tin and get it right. 

Be wise, Be Safe and Stop living life on the edge. 

Love ya'll greatly

#openthoughts - Don't look back

'Stop looking back, look to the future'

For some time now, I've been coasting through life moving with God and following his plan for my life. There came a time when I was told this -  "Stop looking behind you, look to the front because that is where you are heading"

The old job, ex-partner, the old house, old habits............ When the going gets tough, it can sometimes be so much easier to just go back to what we know that looking ahead and going into the unknown. It's a common thing nowadays, you're looking for a job and you somehow find yourself back in the job you left some years ago. One reason is that we haven't really let go of the past, we are still looking back at it which is why we never take hold of what's to come in our future.

"Lot's wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt" - Genesis 19. As I looked at the passage alone, I froze. Lot's failed to head into the future because she looked back. She looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah and as such, she was turned into salt. She became a distant memory

As I was pondering on this, the analogy I received was this.
A house is on fire, it is literally burning down. You've gone outside but the pain of losing the house and everything inside it is too much so you decide to go back in even though everyone is telling you not to. You decide to go in but you don't make it out alive. You've been burned into ashes.

We all have problems with moving on. We just can't forget the past, it's hurt us so much that we are not ready to move on but today God is saying - "Stop looking back, look to the future"
The person may of hurt you real bad, the person may have broken you in pieces but you can't allow that to stop you from moving on. By all means, confront what's holding you back but don't stay there. Deal with it and go. You in charge of your destiny.
Look to the future...............

Ask yourself these questions - Does it have a hold over me? Am I ready to let go? Am I ready to leave the past behind?

Normally, I would prepare my blog pieces but it's been in my spirit these past few days to just write and write and just share my thoughts. As you read, I pray that you find strength and courage to take that first step and move towards the future.

#Openthoughts - Time: Use it or Lose it

It only feels like we had just entered January and skipped to February. That literally is how fast the year has gone already, it's just ticked away right before our own eyes. Do you feel like you need more time? Do you wish you had more time?

Think of it this way - You are sitting in an exam, on the paper, it says that you have 2 hours. Everybody has the same 2 hours, no more and no less. One person uses time well and answers all the questions but the other person just sits there figuring out what to do. All of a sudden the invigilator says "Time up". Both of you had the same 2 hours but one used time and one wasted time. On exam results day, it was evident to see. Do you want to be the person who uses the time to their advantage or do you want to be the person who sees time tick by?

When I was young, I had this precept that I could wait and do things the next day. It was like that for a while until I met one of my associates who said this to me - "Time waits for no man, Time doesn't respect anyone, it just goes tic toc. What you do with it is down to you"
I will admit, they were some wise words indeed, they have been lodged in my memory up until now.

All of us can't complain that we don't have enough time, in fact, we have 24 hours in a day every day of the week. The only thing is what do we do with it? If you asked someone what they do with their time, this will indicate why they say 'If I only had another hour or if the day could be extended'.
How do you view time? Can you manage your time well?

I want to introduce a time management tool which will help greatly

Above is the Eisenhower matrix. It helps us identify and structure our time a lot better. When I was first introduced to this concept I found out that there are things that I do which were time-consuming, they weren't beneficial for me so I cut them out and I found that I had more time than I thought. Try it out for yourself. You will be amazed at the results. 

There are some things in life that we have to do and there are some things that we don't have to do. In between that, some balance is needed. Ask yourself this question - Do I really need to do it? I did this once and it changed my life

Time is one of our greatest investments. When you invest in yourself and spend time investing in you, you will reap the benefits. Let's start investing time into something worthwhile.

Let's stop regretting the time we have wasted. We can't get it back

Time is precious, Time is our greatest resource. 

Time.......................

'Do Today what others won't do tomorrow'

#openthoughts -- Identity: Don't get Lost in the Crowd

I work in the security industry and all throughout my time as a steward, I have been taught how to manage crowd behaviour. Within crowd behaviour, there are the three d's - Dynamic, Density and Distress. Within that, we were told to watch out for people who seem to be lost within the crowd or conforming to their surroundings and also those who seem to be in distress.

If you have attended a football match before, you will be aware of the masses of people that attend on any given day. If you are not careful, you could end up getting lost in the crowd. The question we should ask ourselves is why?

It's a question that I have often asked myself and pondered for a while now. One of the things is that we can sometimes conform to our surroundings and try our utmost fit in because it's the easiest way or if we see most people acting in a certain manner, we think it's perfect to act in that way.
We can also get lost in the crowd when there are emergencies or problems, within that you're not thinking rationally and your fight or flight mode kicks in. At that moment, nobody in the crowd is thinking, they just want to get out of the exit so they can be safe.

9 times out of 10, we are like that. Whenever we face problems, we too tend to take the easy way out. We follow everybody and when we see someone heading in a direction, we will head that way also not knowing where it will lead us.
When we do this, will eventually get lost to the point of no return.

When I read the bible, I am reminded that when King David came to Ziklag, he found that all his family had been taken. At that moment you would expect him to forget everything and go after them but that is not what he did. He sat down and inquired after God. He soon got his answer and he was able to recover all that he had lost.
If King David had followed the crowd and went after them without listening to God, it could have been costly.

So, we know why we can sometimes get lost in a crowd. The next question - how can we ensure that we don't get lost?

One major key is to listen. I have found that if I ask a policeman or someone official like a steward of a response team steward, I am assured that they will tell me the best route to exit the place. Because they know the layout, I am able to find my way out if I listen and obey instructions.

The next key is to be calm. Whenever there is a crowd problem at games, there is never anything calm about the whole situation but whenever one person in the crowd is calm, it will rub off on everybody else. When you know and listen to the people in charge, you will definitely be calm about the situation. It's not going to be easy when you are in fight or flight mode but take some time out and listen to what is being said.

Another major key is to read the signs. When all else fails, follow the signs. Exit This way, Fire Exit, Emergency Exit, all of these exits will eventually help you get back to your starting place and will help you keep moving but when you don't read signs, confusion kicks in. Signs are there to guide you, signs are there to help you. Don't dismiss the signs.

It is very possible to stand out from the crowd when you know who you are and where you are. Stand out from the crowd, don't get lost. God needs you to stand out

Be blessed

#Openthoughts - There is room for everyone

Each and every day, people will rush about trying to fit in or even push people out the way so they can have space. It's a sorry sight, it's also very dangerous as people can get hurt in the process.
Trying to rush about will only delay your journey. Relax, be still, be at peace because there is room for everyone.

If you picture a typical train journey in the morning, you will see a mass of people either walking to work, getting the bus or train, taking children to school or just going from A-B. 9 times out of 10, they will all be worried about how they will get there henceforth why many people try to push past people but will find that they will end up being late and missing out.

Life will bring many demands which we will have to meet but we can negotiate those demands by being calm. Not everyone will have that same mindset but you can dictate how you react by realizing that your time will come. There will be a time when the train will be empty, when you will get a seat on the bus and when the roads are less busier than usual.

Having the 'there is room for me' mindset will ensure that you don't conform to society and the ways of the world. Failure to have this mindset will only result in frustration and then lead to the point where you copy how others react and what others do.

The key to breaking this habit is to know your identity and be confident in yourself. Be confident in what you have to offer and the impact that it will bring. You also need to know that you are unique and that you have something different. Only then will others realize that there will room for everyone to operate.

It's very possible for two strikers to play together, it's very possible for two left footers to play in one team and it is very possible for two captains to be on the pitch at the same time. Be yourself, be good to others, don't rush around and you will be able to breathe properly.

When I was young, I always thought that to be accepted by society I had to be like certain people so I can reach the top. So, that meant me trying to become a footballer or wanting to make music. Oh, how wrong was I............ I failed spectacularly but when I walked down the path of being a writer and also security I soon found out that I could walk a different path and still get to the top. This was an important lesson and one that I will never forget.

There's something a wise man used to say to me and my friends when growing up which was "You will eat, there is enough food for everyone to eat, be patient"

You will get your food and you will have enough to share with people around you. Be calm, wait your turn. There is room for me and you, There is room for everyone.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Over the past few weeks, I have begun to love myself again. It's not easy when you have people constantly telling you how short/tall you are, how big/tall you are, what you wear isn't acceptable. During that time, it can be possible to fall out of love with yourself.

In that time, I have decided to bring myself back to the place where I can love myself again, I have been meditating on these particular scriptures - Psalm 139:13-14 ' For you did form my inward parts; you did knit me together in my mother's womb. I will confess and praise you for you are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are your works, and that my inner self knows right well'

Looking at this scripture gives me so much life, I am reminded that even before I was born God had knitted me together, he was the one who formed me in mother's womb.
It's almost been a year since I decided to change my life, not because of what people was telling me about my weight but because I wanted to make a change, I started the journey of self love because to be honest, I couldn't see how beautiful I was but now I know that God loves me and that I should learn how to love myself. I won't pretend and tell you that this journey has been easy because it hasn't, there are still days that I question whether all this is really worth it and there are days I feel on top of the world.

When you compare yourself to others, it's known that you will be depressed with the way you look and will do anything to look like them. I have been in that place thinking to myself why don't I look like someone else. It was then that I realised that I am not like them, I can never be like them. It was at that point I gave up trying to look like other people and decided to focus on myself for a change. I started to buy myself clothes, treat myself to fresh haircuts and everything else that comes with it. I even booked nights away where I could reconnect with myself.

If you are struggling with confidence, with issues relating to image, just know that you are not alone. There are many people out there who go through the same issues and there are many people who have overcome that fear.
Love yourself well. Love your perfections and imperfections, love everything about you.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made, You are beautiful, You are unique, You are original.
There can only ever be one of you.