₦airaland Forum

Don't get hyper..such reactions are much anticipated

meamanda: Why some people are calling her crazy?
What's wrong is a graying old woman chooses to stay fit and look young?
Stop Being Jealous

Very well said!
Some excusists take pleasure in splitting a hair. Instead of respecting the woman, they are trying to prove her wrong. What a shame!!

micoco: what is wrong with you and your types in nairaland? Must you guys always find the negatives even in the purest of things? She is 75yrs old and look this good, its just awesome. She achieved that through hardwork, so respect that. Most of y'all think bodybuilding is negative, but there are natural bodybuilders who look nuffin but perfect, plus dey are so healthy. At 75, many of her peers are dead, but there she is, taking good care of herself by eating good and exercising. Meanwhile you are there wishing her pakinson disease like say u be major distributor of the thing

Great to know that some of us (I bet we really don't have someone of her age reading this thread) have taken her as inspiration

Thanks Uboma
I hope our fellow Nairalanders add some more points to it.

uboma: nice one.

“Excuses are the tools with which persons with no purpose in view build for themselves great monuments of nothing.” ~Steven Grayhm

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We are capable of accomplishing anything and everything our minds can imagine! Then what is holding us back? What prevents us from taking our first step? What we consider to be the CAUSE of failure or BARRIER to the destination is nothing but various masquerades of EXCUSE. Excuse convinces you to accept failure over success. It justifies your inaction and fear of failure, makes you arrogant to mark error and cocky to identify the opportunity, finds impossibility in anything and discourages you from transforming your dreams into reality.

1. It is very difficult

2. I am too young or too old to go for it

3. Nobody takes me seriously or I have been rejected

4. I am not that much educated

5. I don’t know how

6. I don’t have time

7. He/she is responsible for my failure

8. It is very risky

9. What if/could/would

10. The idea is not perfect or might not work.


Taken as summary from: http://www.successstories.co.in/10-excuses-that-prevent-you-from-becoming-successful/

Chinese will love you as long as they see their benefit...They have ambitious plans for themselves. It includes attacking South Korea, Japan and India..And they need a lot of money.

Height of stupidity
He was kicked off the library for being 'obsessed student'
At least he wasn't involved in any obscene activity.

They have been doing doing charities; it's their money and they have earned it....We may call it waste but to them it's a small little thing..that they will keep doing for their daughter

Her body makes her look at least 30 years younger

“Age is nothing but a number… I feel younger now than I did 30 years ago.” Ernestine Shepherd


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Ernestine Shepherd had been a long time model in Baltimore but with the growing age when her figure went out of shape she, along with her sister Mildred Blackwell, joined weight lifting and aerobics classes immediately and competed in bodybuilding shows under pseudonym Velvet, and Ernie. In 1992, after the sudden demise of her sister in brain aneurysm, she felt depressed, quit exercising and started suffering from high blood pressure, acid reflux and frequent panic attacks. It was her close friend who initiated and encouraged her to start her career in bodybuilding to show the respect to her late sister. Her fresh start rewarded her not only with medals and bodybuilding titles but with a happy family that consists of her 80 year old loving husband, 53-year-old son, and 14-year-old grandson.

Source: http://www.successstories.co.in/75-year-old-body-builder-ernestine-shepherd-proves-its-never-too-late-to-get-in-shape/

Some heated replies to meamanda

There is no need to fight

The way you all have appreciated him is something worth reading. I thank you all for sparing time and reading about the great man....Stay Blessed

Dygeasy: @bolded I gave no indication as to whether I am or not.

I am responsible for whatever I put down here and considering the fact that I actually said I admire the man's determination, that's an appreciation in itself.

Like I said before, any negative post to which you're reading any meaning to is merely a but. Embarking on such mission by the man would be tagged silly by any normal human being except one who can see into the future. I haven't said anything out of the ordinary.

I still think your ish with me being great or becoming great is still something I can't quite place. CIAO!!!

Amanda, I wish you'd taken prior permission to publish this article on Nairaland

Any way, look forward to some interesting comments from Nairalanders

Oh, sorry

I really could not see the sarcasm. Thanks for replying

anonimi: That was sarcasm, my dear. I see a lot of folks did not see the sarcasm in my response as well.
He asked for help from all quarters -govt, fellow villagers etc, nothing. Hence he decided to do it alone. Also he had no money to buy dynamite being a poor villager.

Well, you have no idea about his locality. It is near my husband's native place and the village hides between two giant hills. Back then, there was no effective governing bodies due to naxalism and local conflicts. His all fellow villagers worked as bound labors. They would cultivate the lands of the elite farmers and in return they were given grains just to survive. You might be thinking that I'm portraying a medieval India..but the fact there still such villages exist

onatisi: why didnt he approach the govt for help and dynamites during those 22yrs or even appealed to ppl to help him with his project or goal?

Hi following words summarizes the life of a dedicated athlete:
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”

Thanks very much for liking my effort

Covering doesn't mean you start veiling your women and daughters. Dressing decently is OK and acceptable

“The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself – the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us – that’s where it’s at.” – Jesse Owens

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Ohio state star Jesse Cleveland Owens became one of the greatest athletes of his time by dominating the 1936 Olympics with his spectacular triumph. He not only mesmerized the world with his determination, courage, and glorious winning of four gold medals (100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4×100 meter relay) but also infuriated the Nazis and struck a harsh blow to their leader Adolf Hitler’s theory of considering Aryan as the master race. Adolf Hitler intended to showcase and highlight his Aryan ideals and greatness at the 1936 Olympics but Owens’ magnificent victory proved him otherwise. In spite of the racial brutality and hatred, people across the world embraced his grace in athleticism, courage and greatness in sportsmanship.

A black 22-year-old son of a sharecropper who endured extreme racial slur immediately became international champion; people forgot about his inferiority and idolized him as a man of purpose and forn his grand sportsmanship.


At Berling Olympics, Owens gave the world what we call “The Greatest 45 Minutes Ever in Sports” – he broke 4 world records in just 45 minutes. His achievement has been marked as the world most memorable athletic moment ever.

Jesse Cleveland Owens’ Quotes

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”

“If you don’t try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody’s back yard.”

“Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.”

“A lifetime of training for just ten seconds.”

“Find the good. It’s all around you. Find it, showcase it and you’ll start believing in it.”



Taken from the Blog Success Stories: http://www.successstories.co.in/1936-olympic-hero-jesse-owens-the-man-who-smashed-hitlers-aryan-ideals-and-prowess/

My son was 9 months old when I first introduced him to Cerelac Wheat...I started giving him regularly since liked it...but the problem started after three months...Cerelac does create constipation! I took him to pediatrician and scolded me to including it in his food..I never tried it ever since :-(

Remember, it's just a supplement and not a substitute for the whole grain home-made food. Above all the baby is just 10 months old. Good luck

Well said, ambition and persistence needed to stay happy and going.

Shollypopz: In my opinion, this is the best quote up there. If you don't have consistency, all other skills/attributes are bullsh1t!!

Let me tell you another aspect of this story.

In one of the interviews, he accepted the fact that it was a move he made out of desperation. When his wife died, he contacted several governing bodies but 3 decades back his voice was suppressed. He even asked his fellow villagers to join his cause but they thought he was crazy and that it'd be impossible to slit the mountain apart. Finding no one around, he took up the task himself.

Kslib: You might think he died for nothing,but GOD will be very proud of him cos he is really a great man,a man of sacrifice,a man of determination,a very rare man...
Mr man,what do you know about life?? Do you think life is all about enjoyment,do you think everybody is as selfish as you.. Do you think everybody is afraid to die....
I wont even bother to explain the significance of this man to you,"cos you dont give what is holy to dogs".....
Next time when you look in the mirror "just remember that you can never ever be great like this man,never ever... He left his mark on earth,what have you left?? Nothing....

Does it make any difference if he was born in one of the most backward places in India?
All this man wanted was to end the ordeal of his fellow villagers and knew he'd walk across the hill one day.

tellwisdom: Dashrath Manjhi from Gahlor Ghati, of Gaya, where in Nigeria is that?? ..Sango ota??

There are several such questions. But one that really irritates me is:

1. Hmm, it seems you did not sleep last night; what you guys did staying up?

You know that I have two lil kids...what else would you expect a woman to do the whole night.....no one does that the whole night

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1. Explore, Dream, Discover

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

2. Dare Mighty Things

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt

3. Ambition and Persistence
“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” Bill Bradley

4. Drudgery and Triumph
“Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph: a beginning, a struggle and a victory.” – Mahatma Gandhi

5. Do the Job you have in Hand

“I studied the lives of great men and famous women, and I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm and hard work.” – Harry Truman

6. The Man who Thinks He Can

“If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t! If you want to win, but think you can’t, It’s almost a cinch you won’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost; For out in the world, we find success begins with a fellow’s will; it’s all in the state of the mind. Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger and faster man, but sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.” – Walter D. Wintle

7. Mistakes are the Best Teachers

"A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” – John C. Maxwell

8. Happiness is the Key to Success

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

9. Consistent Growth And Progress

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin

10. Do what you Love

“When you do what you love, the seemingly impossible becomes simply challenging, the laborious becomes purposeful resistance, the difficult loses its edge and is trampled by your progress.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Source: http://www.successstories.co.in/top-10-entrepreneurship-quotes-to-live-by/

22 years..no help from anyone and the resolve to keep slitting the mountain apart...The man died about 6 years ago and the Indian government did not fulfill any promises.

And who has created this map?

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Almost five decade ago, a landless farmer Dashrath Manjhi from Gahlor Ghati, of Gaya (a district of Bihar) resolved to end the difficulties of his villagers by shouldering a near impossible task of slitting a 300-feet-high hill apart to create a one-km passage.
His village would nestle in the lap of rocky hills for which villagers would often face gigantic troubles for crossing small distance between Atri and Wazirganj, the outskirts of Gaya town. He started hammering the hill in early 1959 in the memory of his wife, who could not be taken to the nearest health care center on time for the immediate treatment as the nearest road that connected them to the city was 50km long.

He knew his voice will not create any reaction in the deaf ear of the government; therefore, Dashrath chose to accomplish this Herculean task alone. He sold his goats to purchase chisel, rope and a hammer. People would call him mad and eccentric spirited with no idea of his plans. Unfazed by his critics’ discouraging remarks, Dashrath hammered consistently for 22 long years to shorten the distance from 50km to 10km between Atri and Wazirganj. The day came when he stepped through a flat passage — about one-km long and 16-feet wide — to his dream, ‘the other side of the hill’.



Source: http://www.successstories.co.in/dashrath-manjhi-the-man-who-moved-a-mountain/

Well, all that matters is attitude!
Several years ago, Howard University had conducted a survey and research program and the conclusion was a bit surprising:
"They found that when a person gets a job, 85% of the time it is because of their attitude, and only 15% of the time because of how smart they are and how many facts and figures they know."