Good afternoon everyone! I pray and trust that your day is going as smoothly and stress free as my own at the moment. But if not, take a moment to think about why that is, and then make the adjustments necessary to unburden yourself from that frustration and/or anxiety.

I know that sometimes that is easier to say than to do, but regardless it is something we all must learn and master if we are to ever be free of our troubles and overcome adversity. Which is why I have decided to create this thread.

For a while I was hesitant to do so because I am already in the process of building a blog of the same theme, and I thought it might be counter-productive to devote more time to something outside of my blog. But the thought kept nagging and tugging at me, so I finally decided to create the thread. I've also decided to go back and revise many of my early threads and posts because I feel they are more on the side of marketing and selling, and do not offer much value to anyone. And I want to change that. I NEED to change that.

One of the things I've learned as an entrepreneur is that success (however you define it) comes from creating value. In terms of Nairaland, my success would mean creating posts and publishing content people can use to grow in life. Something that will either inspire or motivate themselves, or others. And when I look over my Nairaland posts, I realize I have failed to create enough of that value.

One of the ways I want to create more value is by sharing some of the things I've learned in life, both personally and as an entrepreneur and business owner. Looking at my own life, much of what I've accomplished, learned and grown from came from someone else sharing their knowledge, insight and experiences with me. There is so much that we can learn from one another, if we only take the time to communicate, connect, motivate and encourage one another to choose and pay more attention to ourselves, and not be so consumed by any and everything going on around us in the world.

Self-actualization, reflection, mastery and development are essential to our growth as individuals. We pay more attention to the lives of celebrities and political figures than we do our own frustrations. Each of us was born with a purpose; a solution to another's problems. I'm not saying we are all meant to change the world as a whole, but we ARE meant to change the world of at least one other person.

I don't know what, if anything, will come of this thread, but I do trust, feel and believe that it will be positive, empowering, inspiring and needed by someone (or several someones) out there. You can never know how your contributions will impact the lives of others, so feel free to share the stories, experiences, quotes, verses, ideas and insight that you believe can and will inspire others, and help them manifest the change they desire in life.

It's one thing to read books and quote writers, but it's another to go beyond those words to engage life and take action to change the hearts and minds to benefit those around us, as well as ourselves.

Take care and be blessed everyone!

~ Ra



Have a blessed day!

Have you ever heard anybody say things like "I'm just not inspired" or "I'm not motivated" or "I just don't have the energy to do .... (whatever they don't want to do)" Here's my take on this.

I think a lot of times we overthink a particular project or something we would like to do and literally drain our emotional batteries BEFORE we even start doing the thing. Ever had this happen to you? I know I used to find myself doing that. And the easiest way to overcome that is to understand that:

ACTION GENERATES INSPIRATION.

I think it was Emerson who said it best "Do the thing and you will have the power to do the thing". Friend, if you've been putting off or dreading doing something - START DOING IT. Just start doing it and give it your best effort. Challenge yourself to create a masterpiece out of it.

ACTION generates INSPIRATION.

Take care, and be blessed in your endeavors!

~ Ra

God gave each of us the power of emotions so that we could experience life. Not be destroyed or consumed by it. But sometimes we allow our emotions to get the best of us, and find ourselves in circumstances and situations that only serve to further harm our spiritual and emotional well being.

We find ourselves filled with anxiety, frustration, worry and other forms of stress and confusion; and when that happens, it can be difficult for us to find our way back to a place of peace. So how do we do it? How do we deal with, overcome and manage such raw and toxic emotion? Is it even possible to make these emotions work for us instead of against us?

Speaking from personal experience, I've found the answer to that to be yes. But it's a process. The road is long and difficult, but when we commit ourselves to doing the work, and commit to the change we desire, we can work through anything that comes our way. We can find peace in our most difficult relationships, identify our triggers and how to significantly improve our communication with others.

We must learn to respond with no regrets by managing your tendencies to stuff, explode, or react somewhere in between. Gain a deep sense of calm by responding to situations out of our control without acting out of control. Each of us holds the power to change and become the people we truly desire to be. But we must first do the work required. It won't happen overnight, and it may not happen as quickly as we hope and desire, but we CAN change nonetheless.

Greatness may not come when you want it to come but it WILL come. But you MUST believe. Belief is contagious. Believing in yourself is a process. And when you can believe in yourself then others start to REALLY believe in you as well.

Belief is REAL. But it is not the last step to greatness. There will be challenges and many obstacles, but what you need to do is turn obstacles into possibles.

Your faith will give you perseverance. And guess what?

There will be struggles, but without struggles there is no progress.

Sometimes you will feel as if you are deep down in a hole and getting out of it feels so so far. But you WILL get out of the hole. Realize that there is always
light at the end of a hole. And sometimes the 'higher' you make it, the more difficult things get.

But that's okay...just believe.

EMBRACE your greatness and find your path.

BELIEVE in your path and then Live your path.

Even if you aren't actually "there" yet.

Be blessed!