5 things to Focus on to Achieve your New Year’s Resolutions

What’s your new year’s resolution? To lose weight?  Get a new job?  End a toxic relationship? Statistics show that most of us won’t achieve our goals because at some point it will get difficult and defeat will set in. What can you do to increase the chances of success? Here are 5 tips to help you along the way: BELEIVE. Do you believe and have faith that your goal can come true? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. What evidence is there in the things you do and say to show your belief? If you know you don’t believe deep…

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Give, It’s Good For You!

Its a season of parties, gifts, monetary contributions, get-togethers; for some of us it may be a season of dread and avoidance because the pressure to give is unbearable.  Generally there are 4 types of givers: Theatrical giver – this type of person is typically a show off and they want to be applauded for giving. Conventional – this type gives because it is expected, so it must be done. Transactional ‐ this type gives because there is a guaranteed expected return. Moral giver – this type gives because God says so. People who struggle to give generally believe they don’t have enough and are insecure/fearful of what may…

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Time and Change Happen to Us All. How are You Maximizing Them?

Success and failure depend on how you manage your time and respond to change” Dr. Myles Munroe. The person you are and the life you have manifested is largely to do with how you’ve been spending your time and responding to change; two variables that nobody has control over. Is your life what you imagined it to be? If not, it’s time to be precious about your time and mindful of your response to change. A quick way to start is to set some goals. They will guide your time management and when faced with choices, you can ask yourself “Is this taking me closer to my goals…

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Follow Your Own Path

For many years of my life I lived up to what my environment expected of me. My parents taught me that education and a job equals happiness. Their template for the good life was get educated, married, have kids, buy a nice car, be a manager, buy a nice house and you are set for life.  So this is exactly what I did! When I ticked everything off my list, there was nothing at the top; no fulfilment, no contentment. I still wanted more! We all go through something similar at some point, right? We get fed up of what is, but don’t know what better looks like. …

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Believe, Even When Nobody Else Does

There are many firsts happening in Africa right now. Nigerian star, Yemi Alade became the first African female artist to reach one million subscribers on her YouTube channel. In just one day, a world record-breaking 350 million trees were planted in Ethiopia as part of efforts to tackle deforestation and climate change. In South Africa, 20 teenagers from vastly different backgrounds built an aircraft and successfully flew it from Cape Town to Cairo. I’m sure at some point, the individuals behind these accomplishments were called crazy, too daring, over the top; but look at them NOW! What are you working so hard on that people think you’re insane?…

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Hard Times Are Not Bad Times!

They are the prerequisite for something new because after a bitterly cold winter, the season of fresh beginnings must follow, that is spring. We live in a culture that predominantly sees difficulty as the end of the world, as an indication that you have done something wrong or God is punishing you. I’d like to suggest to you that your difficult time could also be a part of the seasons of life because there is a time for EVERYTHING under the sun. You can’t have harvest time without first having rain; you can’t have a beautiful baby without the discomfort of pregnancy and labour pains. This is the…

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Why You Matter

The body is made up of many parts. The eyes see and create perception of the world around us. The pancreas releases enzymes that break down foods and hormones that regulate blood sugar level. The feet enable the complex movements needed for motion and balance of the body. Each part of our body has a specific role to play. The foot cannot see, the eyes cannot produce enzymes, the pancreas cannot enable motion of the body. So why do we try to be like other people? Each one of us is a part of this glorious body called humanity. By trying to be like someone else, we are…

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Winter is Your Friend

Winter has always been a go-slow period. The late nights and early mornings in my study reduce, exercise becomes non-existent, healthy eating reduces, going to church becomes a burden and waking up early becomes torture. Can you relate? This year I decided, no more! I prepared mentally with morning affirmations like “Today is an amazing day.” I say this out loud while the rest of my body cries “let’s sleep!” Why do I do this? The brain runs on programmes which we basically install mainly through repetition. By saying an affirmation daily, my brain will eventually believe it and stop fighting me. I also psyche myself up the…

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Make Your Bed – It Builds Your Discipline!

Are you disciplined to do the every-day small things that bring long-term results? Discipline can be a negative word for some. Pictures of a deprived boring life with zero indulgence and strict routines might be your interpretation. I see discipline like an older friend who tells you the truth you don’t like but need to hear, and after you’ve heard it, you’re glad you did. It can be a painful process that demands sacrifice but in the end you’ll be glad you did it, especially if you are going after something you really really want; it’s an essential ingredient to all achievement. So how can you be disciplined…

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Let’s Talk Men Empowerment

Women empowerment initiatives happen often. The more I see workshops, seminars, dialogues etc. targeting women, the more I worry about the men. I hardly ever hear about initiatives that specifically empower men. What initiatives speak to our fathers, husbands, sons – the men in our lives? What are our men talking about? I asked the men in my circles this question and their response was generally dismissive “Talking is for women” or “Men talk about serious things like making money“. This bothered me because while women are talking about how to juggle careers and motherhood (with fathers in the picture), how to thrive in intimate relationships (with men),…

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