You Are Enough As You Are!

Do you know how beautiful you are?  Perhaps you've been made to feel insecure by other people’s comments and the way they look at you.  Are other people making you feel ugly and less of yourself?  I've got news for you, you are enough as you are!    Maybe you feel rejected by family and friends and you've been made to feel like you are no good. The good news is, you are enough as you are!  Perhaps you feel fat and ugly or you feel low by the way people react to you.  Rejection is a fact of life and comes to all of us in one way or the other.  My advice to you is this, if you can't change the direction of the wind, adjust your sails so you can move in a different direction.  Don’t allow the opinion of others to define who you are.  What I mean by this is that you don’t have to please anybody to be you.  Just be who you are.  

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a saying we are all very familiar with.  What one person thinks is beautiful may not be so in another person’s eyes, so in other words one man’s meat is another man’s poison.  Don’t take anything personally.  Don’t waste your time focusing on the negative things people have said or done to you.  You are enough as you are!

I encourage you today, if you are feeling less of yourself, if you are feeling rejected and lonely, take a deep breath and don’t allow rejection to beat you down.  No one likes rejection, it hurts no matter how strong you are, but you must not allow it to beat you down, reject rejection and let rejection strengthen your resolve.  To be strong there is no other way but to pick yourself up again.  Don't allow others to define you. If God had wanted you as someone else, He would have created you as someone else and not as yourself, but He created you as you are.  Let the world know you as you are not as you think you should be.  You are enough as you are.

I encourage you today with the words of Steve Jobs, "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."  You are enough as you are!

(Written by Freda Ladé-Ajumobi, 2013 © All rights reserved.)

Happy New Year, Thank You, and God Bless You!

Happy New Year!  First of all, I would like to say a very big thank you to you for taking the time to stop and read my blogs.  Some of you are returning visitors and others might be first time visitors.  I really appreciate you all, thank you very much!  For those of you who have left me comments, I am very encouraged, thank you so much for your kind words encouraging me to keep writing.  I am quite amazed that visitors to this blog come from all over the world, from the United Kingdom, Africa, USA, Australia, Canada, all over Europe, India, Islamabad, Kuala Lumpur, South Africa, to name but a few.  You are the reason why I keep writing and I hope that you are encouraged each time you visit.  God bless you.

This year I pray you will be blessed and elevated. I pray that everything you lay your hands on shall prosper.  If you are feeling low, broke, jobless, lonely and tired of life, I encourage you not to give up.  Life is full of many challenges, but we must not allow our problems to drive us into a corner. I pray that you will run through every troop and scale every wall of failure, disappointment and hopelessness.  If you are feeling worthless, I pray this year that you will not give up, you will fight back.  I pray you will not back out, you will fight back. I pray you will not quit, you will not fall and you will not fail.  You are not a failure, you are not an error or a mistake, you are needed in this world.  Somebody out there needs you.  Your family need you, your children need you, your spouse need you, your friends need you, the entire world needs you!  You are not insignificant, there is a purpose why you are in this world.

Life has been a massive struggle for many of us due to the economic situation in the world. If you are struggling to make ends meet, I encourage you please don't panic, all is not lost. You are not alone, we are all in it together.  I encourage you today, don't be afraid, whilst there is life there is hope. Hope must not be cut off. In the words of an unknown author, "When the world says, "Give up", Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."  Once you choose hope, anything is possible.  So, I encourage you today, keep trying, keep hoping and don't give up.  Dare to look up, there is always light at the end of the tunnel!

I wish you every success in 2013.  God bless you!

(Written by Freda Ladé-Ajumobi, 2013 © All rights reserved.)

Let Your Light Shine

There is a special light in each one of us. When we came into this world, we entered with that special light into a world full of chaos and darkness. The choice as to whether we will let our light shine in this dark world is left to us to decide. Nobody can force the light out of you and I, we have to freely give it. That decision lies within us. Light gives of itself freely, it is available everywhere. The light of day is freely given, it fills all available space, it does not seek anything in return neither does it ask whether you are friend or foe. Light is never diminished.

 

Some have wondered out of the light into darkness, they have gone astray and their light has been snuffed out. Each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light because when the light is on there is no darkness to be found, for light drives away darkness, and where light is darkness comprehends it not. Unfortunately, our world has become so darkened through greed, wars, hatred and a desperate hunger for power, which has created a lot of darkness in a world that could be so full of light. We all have a role to play in letting our light shine through the darkness that has engulfed our world.

Our path is illuminated by the light, for it is light that shows us the way. Even if our soul was down, it will shine in perfect light, so let your light shine. God created light, He created us to be the light of the world. The only way we can move forward and live in a better and brighter world is by letting our light shine and making a decision of choosing not to walk in darkness or get involved in the works of darkness. I encourage you to walk as children of light in your workplace, at home, at school, amongst friends and family and in the community because we are transmitters of light. Let us live and function as children of light in a dark and depressing world. Perhaps in doing this, we can help in our own little way to make the world a better and brighter place by shining some light in somebody’s dark world.

I encourage you today, in the words of Norman B. Rice, "Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light."

May your light never be diminished and may you brighten somebody’s world at their darkest hour. Wishing you God’s blessings in all that you do and thanks for reading J.

(Written by Freda Ladé-Ajumobi, 2011 © All rights reserved.)

Your Life Is Worth It!

I can hear the voice of hopelessness and despair screaming out loud desperately aiming its arsenal of lies and worthlessness at so many. You might be thinking, “Is my life really worth it? My life is worth nothing!” Let me encourage you today, you may not be worth much in the sight of man, but you are worth much more than many sparrows in the sight of your Maker. Your Creator certainly thinks you are worth it! Why? Because He created you and made you in his own image and what He made was good and is still good in His eyes.

Bill Gates, the creator of Microsoft Inc. would not have spent so much time on Microsoft Technology and invest his time and effort on it if he didn’t think it was worth it. So much time and effort was spent on what he believed was worth it. Nobody believed in his ideas initially, but guess who’s laughing the last laugh now? Those who believed in him or those who doubted his ability? I wonder what would have happened if he doubted and did not believe in himself? God created Bill Gates for a reason and a purpose and we are all reaping the fruit of it now. He believed in himself, doubted his doubters and did not take no for an answer! He is well worth it, isn’t he? This is the reason why I am saying that in the eyes of your Maker you are worth it, your life is worth it. You were created for a reason and a purpose. Don’t believe a lie; believe in yourself instead of looking for approval from others. God would not have spent so much time in creating and bringing you into this world if He did not believe you are worth it. You are not an error; your life is certainly worth it.

The world is a battle field; we must stand and fight in the midst of the battle. I am encouraging you today, fighters never quit, and it is time to stand up and fight back. Be a fighter and not a quitter, don’t give up, you are worth it! Your life is worth it. You may not feel like it, but you are still worth it! Let hope be the anchor of your soul. You are not a waste of time, you are not a failure, and you are not a mistake. You are not worthless; you must hang in there and fight back. In order to be strong, we must keep hope alive and persevere in the midst of the chaos that has overtaken our world today.

Many are going through a lot of tribulation and trials, uncertainty rules our world, violence and anarchy has become the order of the day and the youth are following the example they see of our leader’s deceitful and greedy ways. The world is full of cactus, but we don’t have to sit on it. We must make up our minds to fight back and not give up. If we give up, then hope will die and our expectation cut off. Like a soldier at war, it’s not over until it’s over, so refuse to give up in spite of the challenges being thrown your way.

I encourage you today, as I encourage myself also that all will be well, but it is only the brave and courageous that will stand till the end. Stand therefore and do not cast your hope away, it has great recompense of reward. Your life is certainly worth it.

In the words of an unknown author, “Everyday may not be good, but there’s something good in everyday.” I encourage you to see the good in everyday and make the best of it. We may not be able to direct the wind, but we can surely adjust the sails. Your life is worth it when you make the best of each day and adjust your sails to see good in everything. Our attitude towards life is what makes a big difference in spite of what we might be going through. It’s not what life takes away from you that counts, it’s what you do with what you have left that matters. Make your life worth it by adjusting your sails and making the best of what you have left. Your life is certainly worth it, I encourage you today, don’t give up on it!

♥♥♥ Our Hearty Congratulations to Prince William and Kate Middleton ♥♥♥

We are very proud as British Citizens to witness the wedding today of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  They are a lovely couple and we wish them every blessing and future happiness.  

Faithful One - Andy Park

If you are going through a lot at the moment and you can't seem to find a way out.  Maybe you are going through a dark tunnel and things are getting darker and not clearer. My encouragement to you is to listen to the words of this song and let it soothe your soul.  I encourage you to cry out again and again.  There is someone waiting to hear from you.  Will you give Him a chance? He is able to deliver. You are worth much more than many sparrows and He loves you so much, it's hard to believe this sometimes. May this song be a blessing to you and all those who listen to it.

Your Birthing and Beginning

The loss of something in your life could be the birthing and beginning of a new thing. What you think is your end could actually be the beginning of something new and wonderful in your life. What we must learn is how to let things go and change our mindset so that a new beginning can take place. Don’t misinterpret the events around you and think this is the end of you.

The old has to go in order for the new to come. We must die to one life before we can enter another. Change is not a bad thing, we must change the way we think about certain things. In the words of Confucious, “They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.” So change is a necessary thing, it enables us to stretch and grow and reach new heights. Change is what is needed in order to birth and begin something new. Life comes from death, when something dies, a new life begins and when life is at the end of its journey, a new beginning starts.

The loss of a friend could be the beginning of new friendships. The loss of a job could be the beginning of a business enterprise and an opportunity to discover something new, a gift or talent that you never thought was there before. The loss of something could be the push that is needed to bring about the change in our character so that we can make the bad work out for good. Change is not a bad thing, it could be the birthing and beginning of a new thing.

My encouragement to you is to look through the lens of positivity and not to focus on the negative. This could be the birthing and beginning of a new you. If you don’t let go of the old, you may never discover the new. Is there anything you need to let go of? Maybe you need to let go of that friend who has caused you pain for years or that person who has abused you for years. Maybe you need to see the positive side and see the job loss as an opportunity for change and the birthing and beginning of a new thing, a new business or a new idea perhaps. You must let go of the pain to see the joy. Don’t worry, with a positive outlook and a determination to persevere you will come through and shine.

I would encourage you not to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, drop it and let it go. Maybe that loss is not so bad afterall; it might be a tool of change, the change that will birth a new beginning for you. I encourage you to stay strong, run the race and be determined to win and maybe what you thought was the end might be the entry into your next season of promotion. May God bless you with a new season of change that will bring abundance into your life, may He cover and protect you and may you be victorious and prosper in all that you do.

(Written by Freda Ladé-Ajumobi 2010 © All rights reserved.)

Be A Storm Rider!

Eagles are magnificent birds; they are one of the most powerful birds on earth. The eagle builds its nest in tall trees or on high cliffs. They have extremely keen eyesight which enables them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. The ancient book of Job said it was his telescopic vision: from "the point of the cliff" the eagle "spies out the prey" and his "eyes detect it from afar" (39:28-29). Collier’s Encyclopaedia says an eagle’s "eyes are highly developed" and his "vision is binocular”. This stately bird soars above the earth, observing what is going on below and can see its prey from afar. The eagle is a powerful flier, a storm rider, always on the alert and knows how to turn adversity into advantage.

One of the most fascinating things about the Eagle is that it has the ability to adjust her body in order to ride the storm. The eagle is prepared for long flights without getting weary. So, the question that comes to mind is this, like the eagle, how do you turn adversity into advantage? Are you willing to adjust yourself in order to ride the storm? If you cannot ride the storm, you will not be able to go higher and soar like the eagle. The eagle doesn’t run away or escape the storm; it actually embraces it and uses the storm to lift itself higher. It rides on the winds that bring the storm. Are you prepared to soar high in spite of the storms of life? If you are, then you have to embrace the storm and learn to ride through it to get higher. You have to learn to be a storm rider.

When adversity comes and the storms of life are raging, the decision we need to make is to decide whether we are just going to sit there and let the storm blow our dreams and aspirations away or whether we are going to be determined enough to embrace the storm and ride through it in order to soar higher and overcome adversity. There are 100’s of disadvantaged people who have become successful in life despite adversity and misfortune. Some lost all their millions along the way, but through sheer determination, tenacity, endurance and a stubborn will to fight and keep going, they endured the hard times, survived and rose again. They rode the storm and it lifted them to a higher place of victory and success in life.

My encouragement to you today is to keep hope alive, keep your eyes on the vision, your aspirations and your goals. Learn to ride the storm and know that it is there to lift you to a higher place. Don’t give up and let hope slip away and die. Even though it is stormy out there and you are going through a lot, you must keep hope alive, keep standing, keep fighting, your victory is just right round the corner. Hang in there even though you are feeling the blast of the storm of adversity. Hang in there! The storm will be over soon, hang in there, your victory is just round the corner. Hang in there! I am shouting and screaming so you can hear me through the storm, please hang in there! Don’t give up now. Hang in there!

The storm will subside and things will become calm again. Everything in life comes in seasons. Maybe this time you are going through a tough season in your life and the journey seems like an endless unending journey. My advice to you is to keep going and don’t relent, don’t give up and don’t give in. I encourage you to ride on the winds of the storm and hang in there, it is going to lift you to a higher place of victory. Keep going, keep trying, keep fighting, keep hope alive and don’t give up now.

The end of pain, sorrow, heartache, worthlessness, hopelessness and depression is in sight. It might take time, but it is not impossible, the key thing is not to give up now. Sooner or later you will arrive at your expected end. Please don’t give up now.

I am encouraging you and pleading with you not to give up because a lot of people give up at the edge of their miracle and spiral into a deep, dark hole. Your miracle is right round the corner and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Please don’t give up now, maybe you are one of those already at the edge of your miracle and you are about to give up. I would rather encourage you to think about all the sacrifice you’ve made to get here, think about the amount of time you’ve invested and all the hard work you’ve done, think about your loved ones. All that will just go to waste! Think twice before you give up. Embrace the storm, ride on the winds that bring the storm and like the eagle, I encourage you today, be a storm rider!
(Written by Freda Ladé Ajumobi, 2010 © All rights reserved.)

Give A Stranger One of Your Smiles :-)

I find that when someone smiles at me, it makes me feel better. Even if I were frowning before then, the frown would suddenly melt away and I would begin to smile back. A smile is a powerful weapon; it can be infectious. Mother Teresa once said that peace begins with a smile. Most smiles are started by another smile and a smile always comes back to the person who gives it. Your expression is important, a smile brings warmth, it increases your face value, and it can brighten the darkest day and throw sunshine in someone’s way. No matter how grouchy a person is, give them a smile. If people are too tired to smile, give them one of yours. It is a gift of love, it goes a long way, it costs nothing and it enriches those who receive it.

It is documented that it takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown. Imagine that! Imagine going through a whole day without smiling, that means you’ve used up a lot of energy frowning. If you are tense it’s because you’re not smiling. Everyday you spend without a smile is a lost day. Invest some smiles into your day. I encourage you today; do not let another day go by without you smiling. A smiling face radiates beauty; I’ve never seen a smiling face that looks ugly. Every smile is beautiful. Even as I write now, I find that I am smiling.

My encouragement to you today is to smile in spite of whatever your problems might be, though life may be difficult, smile regardless. If you don’t have a smile, I’ll give you one of mine, so receive it now and start smiling, and please don’t just keep the smile to yourself, give it away and it will surely come back to you. A smile may take but a moment or a second but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. So, go on and give someone a big smile! Give a stranger one of your smiles. It is a gift of love.

“Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” ~ Mother Teresa

(Written by Freda Ladé-Ajumobi, 2010 © All rights reserved. Pictures used by permission, please do not copy. )

Let Each New Year Find You A Better Man

Happy New Year! I’m back to writing again after such a long break!
Once again, I want to encourage you to look up this year. Don’t you look down and observe any lying vanities. What is a lying vanity? The root meaning of a lying vanity is something that comes against you to change your mind.
If you’ve made up your mind to change bad habits then do not allow anything to influence you to change your mind. Be determined to change and stick to your vision of change.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let each New Year find you a better man.”

I encourage you this year, be determined and make up your mind to kick old habits, bad habits, old attitudes etc. Start with a fresh page. Kick out the old so the new can come in. Change anything that is not going to profit your growth in life. Don’t start the New Year on old habits. Be determined to change and usher in a new beginning.
Something new is something not before seen or known. To begin something new you must be rid of something old.

May your tomorrows be greater than your yesterdays. May all that you lay your hands upon prosper and may this year be a fruitful and very productive year for you.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” ~Author unknown

Have a very Happy New Year and God bless you!

(Written by Ladé, 2009 © All rights reserved.)

Disappointment - A disguise for blessing

Disappointment is delayed appointment. Disappointment will strengthen but will never destroy. When disappointment travels towards you, you must be determined to meet it with courage. Never give in to disappointment, hopelessness or despair. When you overcome disappointment, you acquire the strength to change your disappointment and turn it into an appointment. Nobody can avoid pain. Pain is inevitable and pain comes through disappointment but you can do something about your situation and be determined to walk through the darkness of disappointment into the light of your appointment, your destination. An African proverb says, “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors”. You cannot run away from trouble, trouble will always come. You cannot avoid pain, it is inevitable. The difficulties of life are intended to make us better. A path with no obstacles leads nowhere.

The world is a hard place, it is full of disappointments, woes and troubles but we can turn this around and create an opportunity to turn this into a blessing. You can change the face of disappointment, embrace it, meet it as a friend and turn it into an appointment. “Every disappointment is a blessing”, this is a quote we are all familiar with. At the time of disappointment we may not see the blessing but after the season of disappointment comes the season of appointment. Be ready to embrace your current disappointment in order to see the season of your appointment. See every disappointment as a disguise for blessing and soon enough you will begin to see your blessing emerge through the pain of disappointment. Learn to convert your difficulties into opportunities. Disappointment is a message that leads us to our destination of appointment. So let your joy scream across the pain of disappointment. Today, I encourage you take heart! Turn on the light of your appointment and the darkness of disappointment will fade away from you!

Wishing you courage in times of disappointment.
(Written by Ladé, 2009 © All rights reserved.)

What is true peace?

One thing the world lacks is peace. Every man deserves to have peace. Every home needs peace and understanding in order to maintain progress. The world loves power but it lacks the power to love. Without understanding, peace cannot be achieved. We bleed in war because we are not prepared to work hard towards achieving peace. The love of power has superseded the power of love. Our world is hungry for peace, it is thirsty for peace, and it is searching for true and lasting peace. World leaders are constantly talking about peace but the void remains to be filled. They have tried and failed.

What is the answer to achieving true and lasting peace in our world, in our home and the environment? What is the answer to having the peace you might have been searching for in a long time? You might be asking, “How can I achieve having peace in my life? Where is the peace I thought I would find in my home and family? How can I experience true and lasting peace in a depraved and wicked world?”

The answer to having true and lasting peace begins with you and me. We must be able to determine in ourselves and make a decision as to whether we would embrace peace or destroy it. Are we going to cling to the past or look to the future and are we going to open our arms or clench our fists. If we want peace on earth, in the family, in the environment and in the home, it must begin with us. I encourage you today to maintain peace in all that you do. Seek peace and pursue it. We lack peace when we forget that we belong to each other. Peace can only be achieved through the power of love; you cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.

I wish you peace in all that you do.

(Written by Ladé © 2009 All rights reserved.)

Giving Is Not Only Material

When I think of giving, I choose not only to give of what I have but also of who I am. I give of myself, my time, my love and my possessions.

You only give a little when you give of your possessions; it is when you give of yourself that you truly give. Giving is not only material -money, clothes, food, etc. The highest form of giving is achieved by giving a portion of yourself. The gift is not as important as the love of the giver.

I encourage you today, whatever you do, give of yourself, of your time and your possessions. While some are eating, others are crying, “Lord, give us our daily bread.” You might be the answer to someone else’s prayers, a beacon of light in another man’s tunnel of darkness. Give as you would receive, cheerfully without hesitation. Encourage others not only by words but also by action, through your giving. Give with love in your heart, hug with a smile on your face, share from what you have been blessed with and you will see the reward come back to you in more ways than you can imagine.

If you give of your hand and you do not give from your heart, then you have given without loving. The size of the gift does not matter, but the size of the heart that gives it matters most. In the words of an unknown author, “You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.” So, give cheerfully without hesitation. Give with love in your heart. May God reward your giving and fill you with joy unspeakable!

(Written by Ladé © 2009 All rights reserved.)

You Are More Than What You Think

You are more than what you think you are
You are not ugly, neither are you a mistake
You only need to believe in yourself
And not measure yourself with other’s opinions
Believe in yourself
You are more than what you think you are

You determine who you are by what you think
Your thoughts shape your life and future
What you think and believe shape your life and future
You live your entire life within the confines of your head
No one can shape your future or think for you
Your thoughts are your own
Don’t allow other people’s words to bring you down
You are beautiful in many ways
You are more than what you think you are

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
What do you see, who do you see?
Whose report will you believe?
Theirs against yours?
Believe in yourself
And you will not believe the bad report
The negative words of man
The voices of hate and ugliness
You will see beauty instead of ugly
You are more than what you think you are

The world we have created
Is a product of our thinking
The seed of greatness lies in you
You must will to think what is right
And you will do what is right
Positive generates positive
Negative generates negative
Believe in yourself, be positive
Leave the negative behind, be positive

A whole new world emerges
When you start to believe in you
Do not allow someone else’s opinion
To become your own opinion
Accept no one’s definition of your life
Learn to be what you are

You are a unique being
A beautiful work of art
You are more than what you think you are
So, why don’t you believe in yourself?
And others will believe in you

The first step toward becoming better than you are
Is to be what you are
Then you will see
You are more than what you really think you are
A unique and beautiful work of art
This is what you are!

(Written by Ladé, 2009 © All rights reserved.)

Fear Not!

If you suffer from fear then you will be afraid to suffer. Life is all about taking risks. Fear is the opposite of faith. If you are not in faith then you are in fear. Faith is the light that disperses of the darkness of fear. If you are always afraid then you cannot be a leader because you are not a risk taker. You must have the faith that you will succeed even though you are not guaranteed a perfect outcome. It is through fear that we learn courage. It takes the brave to move forward in life. You have to be courageous and be ready to scale all the walls that may come up against you. You have to be ready like an army to be able to run through the troops of problems that may rise up against your progress in life. The battle of life is not for the fainthearted. I encourage you to step out of fear and walk into the arena of faith, boldness and courage in order to overcome your obstacles in life. Life is not a bed of roses, it could be full of thorns but in the midst of the thorns emerges a rose. In the midst of the thorns of life, you will emerge like a rose. The end product is usually always more beautiful than the seed. Is there a risk you might need to take in order to make some progress in your life? Then be bold and fearless, there is an end result that may be so good ahead of you that if you do not take that bold step you would not discover the success that is waiting ahead of you. To conquer your fear is the beginning of wisdom. Try and conquer your fears today, take a bold step forward, look up and don’t look down, if you hold on to faith, you will not fail. Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.
(Written by Ladé © 2009 All rights reserved.)

Living, Existing or Fulfilling Purpose?

When you lose direction, you’ve lost your purpose in life. You are here for a reason otherwise you would not have been created. Every work of creation has its purpose. What is your purpose in life and why have you been created? Why are you here? I’m sure some of us have asked ourselves this question many times. You need to know the answer so you can fulfill your destiny otherwise all you will do is go around walking aimlessly in life achieving nothing. What are you striving for and what is the significance of your existence? True and lasting joy comes from finding your purpose in life. You lose your usefulness when you lose your direction. If you have purpose, you can change your environment, you can change many lives, you can influence society for good in a small or big way. For instance, a person might set up a charity organisation so they can help the poor or people less privileged than themselves, this is their purpose. Another person’s purpose might be to be a successful politician, businessman, inventor, community leader or even simply helping others by caring for them and being useful in sacrificial ways. If you have no goal and you don’t know what you are aiming for, then you will be tossed by every wind and you won’t have any direction in life. Where there is purpose, worry will give way. If there is no destination there is no journey. If you are a sailor and you don’t know what harbour you are going for then no wind is the right wind. All you’ll do is drift about on the ocean going nowhere.

My belief is that your purpose is the special talent you have which is a gift to serve others. In serving others you are fulfilling purpose. What is your special talent, what is your special gift? This gift or talent is yours, not for you alone but is to be used to serve others because in serving and making others happy, therein lies your purpose.

My encouragement to you today is in the words of Erma Bombeck,

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

~Erma Bombeck
(Written by Ladé, 2009 © All rights reserved.)

Action is Eloquence

What are your plans for this year? Have you got any? If you have, hopefully you would have written it down? What are you doing to make sure these plans are realised? If you’ve written down your plans then you must take the next step, action. An idea not coupled with action will never get bigger than the paper it’s written on. If you leave your idea, goal or vision written down on paper and you don’t do anything about it, you won’t achieve anything and you won’t realise your dreams.

It’s one thing to have a vision or goal; it’s another to make sure you take the action necessary in order to achieve that goal. The vision must be followed by the venture. If you don’t know how to drive a car, you’ll never be able to drive unless you take driving lessons and pass your test. The first step is having the goal to drive, the other is to book the lessons and take the next step from there. There is no point in wanting to get a degree and not taking the necessary action in order to fulfil that dream. Having vision without corresponding action will get the visionary nowhere fast. If you don’t fill in the application form for that job or apply to that University, how will you know if your plans will materialise? Planning and taking action is important. Having a vision is important for progress in life. What are your plans for your life? Are you going to sit down and watch others achieve their goals in life whilst you sit down and think all the time? My encouragement to you today is to take the necessary step, take action now and do what you have to do in order to achieve your goals. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Talk doesn’t cook rice.” Take action now and leave the talking to others. When deeds speak, words are nothing, says an African proverb. “Action speaks louder than words,” is a wise saying we all know very well. The first step you take will bind you to the second. If you know how to dream then you must know that taking action is the next step to help you realise your dream. It is not enough to stare up the stairs; you must step up and walk up the stairs.

In the words of William Shakespeare, “Action is eloquence.”

God bless you as you take the necessary action to realise your dreams.
(Written by Ladé, 2009 © All rights reserved.)

The Past, What Is There?

No matter what mistakes you might have made in the past, there is a future ahead of you. If you keep looking back and gazing into the past you might soon discover that the future has run out on you. Yesterday can be as far or as near as you make it. The fact that yesterday is gone and you cannot relive it means you have to look forward to the future and live in the present. Live in the now, the present, and not in the past. Your past is your yesterday, today is a new beginning and tomorrow is a future to look forward to. Don’t allow the bad events of yesterday to steal from the goodness of today.

Today is a new day, a new beginning, another opportunity to correct yesterday’s errors. I encourage you to try and live your life in the present and not in the past. The past might be full of bad memories, heartaches, sadness and tears but today is another opportunity to put the past behind and move on with your life. Don’t store your past in the future, don’t waste anymore of your life on a street of broken dreams and what could have been, you have to move on now and embrace the present. The present is the here and now, the past is the past, you can't change it but you can make the future better.

Can a farmer water last year’s crops? Certainly not! He has to sow new seeds for a new harvest. Last year’s crops is done and over with. In the same way that a farmer sows new seeds for a better harvest, start a new beginning and sow new things into your life. Make new friends, do something new. Don’t live in the past, it is dull and lonely, come and live in the present. Bury the past like a bucket of ashes and look forward to the future. If you do not bury the past then you are wasting time and opportunity. True peace comes from letting go of the past and embracing the present.

I encourage you today to let go, forgive, bury the hatchet, dry your tears, ask God to heal you and take off the old garment of the past, take off the garment of heaviness and embrace a new day. I know it may not be easy but keep trying. May the peace of God surround you no matter what you may be going through. God bless you as you make an effort to forget the past and live in the present.
(Written by Ladé © 2008 All rights reserved.)

Be Kind, Reap Kind

It’s always good to be kind to people, you never know, you might have entertained an Angel on your way who will in turn be a helper in your time of need. Do not hesitate to be kind to people because at some point you will in turn need someone’s kindness along the way. Being charitable is being kind. I encourage you to be kind today and someday you will reap the blessings. God bless you.
(Written by Ladé, 2008 © All rights reserved.)

LESSONS WE MUST LEARN

There are lessons we must learn in the walk of life. If we do not take our time and allow the season of learning to take it’s full toll, we end up experiencing a bit of what could have been greater and more rewarding for us. We must try and maintain an attitude of learning all the time and never get to a place where we think there is nothing else to learn and we know it all. Nobody knows it all; we must continue the learning process as long as we live. Every experience we encounter is a learning curve depending on how you see it. The lessons we learn in life are there to stretch, to challenge and to teach us new things. Life teaches how to correct our wrongs, to learn what we could have done better, to think and see things from a different perspective and to know that every experience is worth going through as long as we have something to learn from it. Life is an educational institution and experience is our teacher. We must learn something every day if we must grow in knowledge and in wisdom. Some people will never learn anything because they usually believe they understand the lesson before it is fully taught by the teacher and this is a great mistake and folly. The key is that you must be wiser today than you were yesterday otherwise you have not learnt anything. Many do not always like being taught but we must always be ready to learn, otherwise we are on the highway that leads to many mistakes. I encourage you to keep learning; for the purpose of learning is growth and we must continue to grow as we continue to live.

"Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily." ~Thomas Szasz
(Written by Ladé, 2008 © All rights reserved.)