FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

I received this message from a man i call my spiritual father (won't be mentioning his name here), which says;

"Those who cannot see the future sell their present. My question for you today is: what do you see yourself achieving in the next 5, 10 years? Why is this important? If you can see it, then you will be able to pay the price for it."

As i woke up this morning, before receiving this message, the same questions came to me. Where and how do i picture myself in the next 5 years? What are my set goals for the next 5 years, and what are my efforts to see that i reach them? It seems God really wanted me to pay attention to this matter and treat it as important.

Your goal/vision/dream is like an anchor that helps keep your ship stable, even in the midst of the storm. No matter how hard the wind of life is, it is able to keep you up and going.

From the above quote, we can take a few tips;

1. What is the driving force behind your goal? People don't set goals for nothing, there must be something about your it that makes it interesting and important to you. For instance, if you have a dream to set up an orphanage, it's because you hate to see children who do not have parents to look after them and give them the best things in life suffer. You have a desire to put smiles on the faces of kids in such situations. Your vision is borne out of a passion which you have for a particular thing. Discover it.

2. Is that thing you desire to do worth the sacrifice? Can you pay the price to ensure that it sees the light of day? The great inventor, Thomas Edison, did not invent the first electric light bulb, but instead invented the first commercially practical incandescent light. I believe something motivated him to do it better and get results where others failed. And so, inspite of the challenges he went through, he stood firm until he actualised his dreams. Whatever it is you do, be sure that when challenges come, you are willing to stand firm and not let go.

The conluding part of the message which i received this morning says "you were created to excel, and excel you shall!" Always have this at the back of your mind. You can even write it down as a reminder and paste it somewhere in your living room. Medidate on it always. Let it take control of you. YOU ARE DESTINED FOR EXCELLENCE. NOTHING SHOULD STOP YOU.

Have a beautiful day today.

Yours truly,

VIV!!!!!

HONEY FROM A CARCASS!!!

When you take a good look at this picture, what is it that comes to your mind? They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's what this picture means to me; I see a man with a problem, a man who has been locked down for too long. he has been in this situation for a long time, and has hoped for a change. He believes that if he can only be patient, probably his father, mother, relatives, friends, pastor, anybody at all, might help him out of his miserable predicament. He waits, and waits...........and keeps waiting, but is still stuck in that situation. How frustrating that can be! Ever felt like that before? Sure. And i bet you would feel like taking your life at some point. Well, if only that could solve the problem, but it doesn't.

This man waits, but to no avail. But he does something remarkable; he begins to see a solution to his problem. He used to look at his problem and magnify it, causing people to look at him with pity. Yet no help came. But, he decides, by himself, to look at that problem and see solutions. He looks for a way out. He no longer needs to wait for whoever to come to his aid, instead, he sits down and begins to strategize.

This is what this picture means to me. I am encouraged by this picture, not to look at a problem and see the problem itself. Agreed, the problem is there, but within lies a solution. Just like the case of Samson in the bible; he found honey inside the carcass of a lion which he had previously killed (read Judges 14:5-9). Every problem is a step to excellence. They help mould you, depending on how you handle them. If you handle them wisely, you will overcome. But when you handle them foolishly, you are heading for failure, which is the sum result of every stupid action taken.

Ask God for wisdom to handle that situation.

Yours truly,

VIV!!!!!

CHANGE.

A friend of mine put up this post on facebook;

"The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others".

Now, this on its own is a powerful message. When i came across this post on my friend's page, i was like "Oh my God. This is what i should tell myself over and over again". Many of us want people to respect us, treat us as special, make us feel important, but we do not treat ourselves the way we want to be treated. Imagine me, walking down the road, chewing gum like a low class sex-hawker, talking carelessly, while people stare at me with disgust. I guess you can tell the way people around would relate with me. We must be able to settle down and change certain negative things in our lives.

One thing i want to change is my environment. In a leadership class, we were made to understand that when you stay in a particular place for too long, you begin to behave the way people around you behave. And i can say, to a large extent, that this is true. When you dwell in the midst of people who do nothing but gossip, somehow you'll find yourself doing same. For majority, what they need is to move, and get into a place where they can mingle with the right kind of people.

Another very important aspect i want to handle is the kind of friends i keep. Oh dear, this might sound offensive, but if you are not adding any value to my life, why are we still hanging out? I desire to grow in life, and one way to do that is to meet the right kind of people and associate with them. Dear, it's not pride. No. It's called focus. What will i be doing with someone who wants to sit down all day and look for what is wrong with the world, when i can mix with a few people who want to make a difference in their world? Please, if that person close to you isn't doing you any good, you just have to do something before you wake up one morning only to find out that you haven't achieved anything in life.

Spending is also a VERY important issue that must be taken seriously. If you don't learn to discipline yourself financially, you will end up destroying your future with your own hands. I am also talking to myself here because i have been guilty. We should learn to set our priorities straight. All things are good, but until you have the cash to get that thing for yourself, don't run into debts. I have seen how  running into debt can ruin ones life, take away ones peace, and leave one useless. It's best not to have, than to have everything and not have peace.

I'll leave you with this words; the one person that can make that needed change in your life is not far off. That person is YOU. All you need is the right attitude.

Keep aiming for greater heights.

Yours truly,

VIV!!!!!

AS FAR AS YOUR EYES CAN SEE!

The following story is a fiction.

Jane was a girl who had a dream; to own a fashion line. she had a picture in her mind of what her designs would look like. She had a dream; to become a household name in the world of fashion. Jane had a thing with colours too. In her mind, she would play with diffferent colours and come up with a unique result. Oh, how she longed to bring them to reality. But, Jane had one limitation; SHE WAS BLIND!!! At age 5, she was involved in a ghastly motor accident that affected her sight, and caused her to loose her eyes. This was her predicament.

A lot of people have dreams. goals, ambitions. They have certain levels which they want to attain in life. They want to become enterpreneurs, artists, writers, professionals in their different fields, but that's all they do; want, desire, dream. And remain stuck at that level.

Many of us are like Jane, spiritually. We dream of so much, but we do not SEE what we dream of. In my last post, i talked about the big picture, so this is like a sequel to my last message. What you do not see, you do not possess. That was why God told Abraham to look at the stars in the sky (giving him a pictural view of what He was going to give him), and count. God told Abraham that if he could count the stars in the sky, that was how much his descendants would be, and all would come from just one seed. (Read Gen 15:4,5). Now that was awesome indeed.

The dream in your heart should give birth to a picture in your head. That picture should then motivate you to move on and never stop. It should also keep you focused. You don't settle for just anything as long as you are walking with a picture. Just like a building plan. I haven't heard of an engineer building a skycrapper when the design in his hands is that of a duplex. And that is how it is with your dreams. You should have a picture, write down your visions and dreams. Your desires and goals should not only be in your heart, or even in your head. They should be on paper too.

I heard of a man who built a beautiful house, and just when he was he was moving in with his family, something fell off from a box he was carrying. When he picked it up, it was a picture of a house; similar to the house he was moving into. He remembered that many years ago, he had a picture of his dream house, and had sketched it out on a piece of paper. The man wept.

Get settled, and start putting your visions and dreams down. The picture you have today will give birth to something great tomorrow.

Keep keeping on.

Yours truly,

VIV!!!!!

LOOSING CONFIDENCE???

This morning, i was engaged in a chat with a wonderful cousin of mine (won't be mentioning her name here), and she made a statement that, quite honestly, shocked me. We were talking about her line of interest, and she said to me, "i'm beginning to loose confidence in myself!" Believe me, that was the first time of hearing my sis speak in that manner. I was shocked beyond words.

Why was it a shock to me, you may ask? Well, my wonderful cousin is a strong woman. She is a go-getter, a motivator. I have spent time with her in the past and have drawn strength from her words. I have looked at her life and had cause to smile proudly. But today, she left me dumbfounded. Her next words were "unlike me right? I know. Seriously, i don't know where this evil spirit is coming from!". And then it dawned on me what was actually happening to her. She was struggling with a demon within. And that demon was bent on making her look downwards in defeat, instead of look ahead.

Have you ever encountered such before; just when you've reached a certain level in your business, career, or whatever it is you are involved in, for some unknown reason you begin to doubt yourself. You begin too loose faith, confidence, hope in a project that you started with so much enthusiasm? Well, it happens to those who have dreams that will change their world. Believe me, if you think it will always be smooth and easy for you, go back to your drawing board and check for what you are missing. Sounds stupid doesn't it? Yes o! But it's true. Have you ever seen a honeycomb that doesn't attract bees? Or a pack of sugar that doesn't have a single ant inside? No way.

But to those in the same situation like my lovely cousin, i'd say to you the same words i said to her, YOU ARE JUST STARTING. YOU WILL ENCOUNTER WORSE DEMONS, SO BRACE UP FOR A TOUGH FIGHT! BUT ALWAYS FIND PEACE IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT GOD IS YOUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH!!!

When you encounter such situations, don't back down. No! Instead, draw strength from the big picture. Jesus Christ came and died for you and i. Do you know why? That we might be saved, right? Okay, that is one reason. But remember He went into hell and for three days fought, defeated and took back all authority over the kingdom of darkness. Now that was the big picture. He not only died to save us, but to take back all authority over the devil and give to us, the sons of God. Without doing so, we would be saved, but still live in fear of the enemy. So, what is that dream you have? Where do you see it taking you to? That is your big picture.

When the demons (fear, doubt, insecurity, complex, lack, etc) begin to play with your mind (they can't get to your dreams, they always play with your mind), look at the big picture, and hold on to it. Never give up. Look back at where you are coming from, how far you have come, and how close you are to your destination. And tell yourself that you will make it.

Like i always say, I BELIEVE IN YOU. Keep keeping on.

Yours truly,

VIV!!!!!

TIME TO GROW!

Gone are the days when we look at a certain set of people and say they are never do wells. Yes! Gone are the days when some people feel they are more important than others. Today, talents are everywhere. All we need to do is discover them and groom them. Nuture them and, patiently, watch them grow.

I watched a documentary of a young man who went into the streets, and under the bridge in Lagos, Nigeria. He fetched most of the youths he could find there, and taught them how to turn their raw talents into something "creative". He trained them on stage acting, and today, that group of youngsters have become a group to watch out for.

Look at the modelling world; a look at most of the runway models and you'd be like "golly, she ain't beautiful!". But she is excelling, isn't she? Of course! She discovered her place and utilised the opportunity. It doesn't matter what you think, she is fulfilled.

Listen, it's not about what the world says, it's about what YOU say. So, the time to act is NOW!!! Discover what your passion is, and begin to harness it. There is something you are born to do. Stop walking about town with that certificate when you can settle down and come up with an idea that will rock your world. Now, going to school ain't bad, but don't just depend totally on your certificate. There is something inside of you that will launch you into greatness. Discover it.

You've heard this a thousand times. Yeah, but this is a reminder. Get up and get to work. The world awaits you.

I believe in you, friends.

Yours truly,

VIV!!!!!

THE MAN CALLED FEAR!

Yesterday, i began this project "YOURS TRULY.....VIV!!!!!", and i got a few commendations here and there. I was happy, happy that i was doing something positive. But that wasn't my major reason for being happy; i was happy that finally i had crossed that line that i was so afraid of crossing a long time ago. I was happy that i had dealt with my fear (the fear of starting my project). Yes, i was afraid of taking the first step!!! I knew what i was called to do, but i kept on procastinating, making excuses. At some point, i concluded that this wasn't my thing. I'd rather leave it for the "experts" to handle. But one thing kept coming to my heart, that every mess in my life is a message for someone who would pass through the same road i have passed. So what then was stopping me? I was afraid; afraid that people wouldn't pay attention, afraid that i wouldn't be able to communicate effectively to others. Infact, i was afraid over nothing reasonable.

How foolish i was! Yes. I later discovered that all i needed to do was START! I had a dream, to help people who are going through frustrating situations like i have, and encourage them, especially the ladies. I have a dream to affect the lives of our younger women, to be a guide. But that man called FEAR had his own plans too. His plan was to see that i NEVER get to the point of starting at all. So, when i discovered the problem, i had only one thing to do, GET UP AND GET MOVING. This assignment is of God, so i don't need to worry about what the readers would say. No! All i had to do was start, and allow God take care of the rest. I had to take off the lid that had kept me inside that bottle. I had to deal with the limiting factor, which was my thoughts.

Many who didn't fulfill purpose died and went down with all that they had stored up inside of them because they allowed limitations to bring them down. They were afraid to break forth. I tell you, it's time for you to tell yourself that you are ready. It's time for you to change your thinking and do the things you are afraid or have been afraid of doing. You don't have to wait until you are too old to do what you are called to do. You don't even have to wait until you have millions to achieve what you want to achieve. I've heard a lot of people say they will wait until they have enough money before they can move to the next stage. Now i ask, how much money is enough in life?

The first thing you need is an idea, a vision, and then God will make provisions. In my own case, i didn't need money to start this up. All i needed after the idea was birthed was the will to begin. So, it's time to take off the limitations and begin to do that which you are created to do.

And then you need to deal with the limitations; it could be your thoughts, friends, environment, whatever. Once you have discovered purpose, you will meet challenges. Oh yes! That you know where you are going is no guarantee that you'll have have a smooth trip. You must be determined that you will make it, and see yourself making it, no matter the force that tries to pull you down.

Also, be ready to learn. That you have an idea does not mean you have arrived. No. You are just starting, and along the line you will encounter errors. Don't give up, instead sit down and look at the issue carefully. That way, you will discover your mistakes and learn how not to make the same mistakes over and over again.

I conclude this piece by saying this; YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS YOU. Always remember that. It's not by your power or by your might. It is by the grace and mercies of God.

Take care and keep on keeping on.

Yours truly

VIV!!!!!

SO MANY QUESTIONS.....YET, NO ANSWERS?

Growing up as a kid was rather unstable for me. So many things happened in my life, and i couldn't figure out the reasons why. Infact, i hardly knew that i was supposed to learn from my experiences back then.

This affected me so much that i grew up confused and frustrated, moving without direction. I was on a move but didn't know my destination. And it was more frustrating because there was no one to guide me. And even the ones i confided in would turn their backs to mock me. It was that annoying.

But as i progressed in life, God (in His infinite mercies) helped me to find my way back from the dark path i had walked into. Of course, it was not an easy comeback, but i'm glad that He came and rescued me. Now, it took me a while before i could have my mind (still on that process though) transformed. My thoughts had been corrupted with the negative ideas i had acquired from the past, so God began to teach me new things, and i was ready to learn. I won't say i have been the best of students, but i'm glad i have the perfect teacher who is always patient with me because he knows my frame.

There were times when i got so tired of certain levels and needed God to speed up the whole process. In the process, i would leave God behind and go ahead and do my own thing (because i 'believed' that God was 'too slow' for my liking). The end result would be disastrous, and i would find myself asking God to take me back again, as if He was the one who left me in the first place. Many times i cried, asking God so many questions, but it felt as if i was being ignored because there were no answers coming. So i thought.

Things went on like this for a while until i settled down (that's what we need; to be settled) and asked myself "how best can i get to that place; the place of purpose?". And suddenly, it dawned on me that i had been in so much of a hurry and had not allowed God to take me there Himself! I was impatient because i wanted to have it all in a flash. And instead, all that i got in a hurry, vanished in a flash!

That was when i asked the Lord to take over (Now playing in my head: "Jesus take the wheel" by Carrie Underwood. LOL!). I couldn't do it on my own. I kept making mistakes and it was time to allow the PERFECT FINISHER take me to my place of purpose and destiny. Today, i'm glad i made that decision.

Friends, someone is facing this same situation; you are confused and don't know which way to go. You are on the verge of giving up, breaking out, going the opposite way. But i can boldly tell you that if you can just endure a little longer, you will discover that you were just about giving up at the very point where your breakthrough has been all along! "But it seems as if God is so silent!". It may feel so right now, but believe me, He is busy handling your issues. Sometimes, you don't just need the answer to your questions, but there are other things that you can learn about if you are patient and trusting in God. That is the key; TRUST. Trust gives birth to hope.

Never feel alone, because there is someone who cares for you, and He is always watching over you. I leave you with these words;
MAY THE JOY OF THE LORD; THE JOY OF KNOWING THAT HE CARES FOR YOU, THE JOY OF KNOWING THAT HE IS ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU, THE JOY OF KNOWING THAT HE LOVES YOU, MAY THAT JOY STRENGTHEN YOU, NOW AND ALWAYS!

Yours truly,
VIV!!!!!