Tag Archives: Choice

Why Write?

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Because there’s a message, a yearning, a calling.

Because there is truth bursting to be said, threatening to make my head implode if I don’t share it NOW.

Because the flow of of words and images becomes a tidal wave that sweeps my core and makes my skin tingle.

Because it’s more important to put your voice out there than to stay silent yet crying out for expression.

I write to nourish my soul and free my spirit.

You write to speak your truth and share your passion.

We write to voice our desires and meet our destinies.

We write to teach each other and learn from one another; to enrich our existence and touch our hearts; to feel with clarity pure and true.

We write to run with the urge to create, to fashion, to explore; to travel the cosmos and drink the light that is ours for the taking.

Why write?

Because the thoughts will keep circling until I commit them to screen and paper, until I forget about what people will say and focus on what I say.

I choose clarity.

I choose light.

I choose the phoenix reborn again and again as the words of my soul flow forth from my core and out through my fingertips.

I choose connection, interaction, community.

I choose to weave my share into the Universal tapestry; to add my voice to the annals of humanity; to sing the beauty that is soul-fed expression.

I choose to share my truth and my yearning, my hope and my journey, my purpose and my vision.

Won’t you join me? :)

via this post

NB: Some of my friends seem to think I ask them to read my blog so they can tell me how well I write. Nothing could be further from the truth. I ask in the hope that we can connect through my posts, start an interaction for our mutual benefit, and build a supportive community that nurtures each and every one of its members.

Gouge the Surface

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Much of everyday life takes place above the surface. We run errands, talk to people, buy things, drive from point A to B; just a few of the things we do on autopilot. You know, part of the rote and all that.

But what about the rest of the iceberg? What about the multitude of ideas and dreams and treasures below the surface? What about the light buried in the darkness because we can’t find the time to air out our coffers?

The surface is a seductive place. It is level, familiar, comfortable. We settle into an easy rhythm, power on day in and day out

until

something

jolts us.

What are you doing? Where are you going? Are you working by instinct or rote? Are you fuelled by passion or necessity? Who are you? Continue reading →

The Power of Gratitude

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I’m reading Rhonda Byrne’s hugely popular The Secret at the moment and it is changing the way I see the world. Seriously. It’s getting easier to feel happier, lighter, more energetic, and above all, thankful. I am so thankful for life and love and the many blessings all around me. Yes there’s a lot going on in the world and there’s a lot of negative energy out there, but all of that can’t take away the simple joy of being grateful for the good things we have and the things we want.

Say “thank you” today. Put a skip in your step. Get a smile on your face and your heart. Let your spirit rise and soar wild and free because you tap into the power of gratitude, the power of thank you, the power of you.

Write a list of things for which you are grateful. Make it a habit. As you write them, I can promise you’ll find yourself smiling and feeling truly blessed because you’re putting them down in black and white. It often happens that we get caught up in the rush of daily living, in the fog of negativity that clouds our perception and thinking when things go wrong, but one important fact still remains: there is so much to genuinely appreciate. So much.

I’ve been filling pages of my journal with reasons why I’m grateful. Pages. My heart and mouth are smiling and my soul is singing because I’m taking time out to appreciate the good in the world. To sit and just say “thank you”, to just be happy and grateful. Because it’s not really about what happens to us but actually about our reactions to such happenings, about the lessons we take from them, about the conscious decisions to keep the positive energy flowing even when we experience setbacks.

I know there’ll be hardship. I know there’ll be pain. I’m not saying it’s all sunshine and rainbows, but I am saying that you can make the sun shine even when it feels like rain. Choose happiness. Choose gratitude. Feel the power of saying “I’m so thankful for (whatever reason)” and the boost of being present in the moment, right here and right now.

All we have is this moment in time. We can’t get back yesterday, and who knows if we’ll see tomorrow? All we have is now. NOW. How will you spend it? How will you live it? Hugging the pain of the past or freeing yourself in the now? Obsessing over what went wrong or making your present go right? Clutching the fear and dark or braving the action and light?

It’s a process. It gets easier. It can become a state of being. Tap into the power of gratitude today. Why? Because you can. Because you deserve it. Because it’s yours. :)

Thank you for reading and please come again. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below or email me at findotitihere@hotmail.com Ciao! :)

Why We #OccupyNigeria

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As the New Year started, my home country of Nigeria received a crippling blow from its government: a fuel subsidy removal that instantly doubled the cost of living. The most common reactions were those of disbelief and horror, because how could the President possibly expect the people to cope without corresponding salary spikes? How were they supposed to feed and transport themselves if their income could only cover half of their needs and responsibilities?

The #OccupyNigeria movement is our response to the government. Its Wikipedia page gives some idea of the situation and its effect on the nation: Continue reading →

The Identity Series – 4

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My good friend Dami was the first person to send me feedback on the Identity Series. Come to think of it, he was the very first person to send an email with his thoughts on my blog. So before I go any farther, I’d like to say a special ‘thank you’ once again. :)
The following is an excerpt from his last email on The Identity Series – 3:

If the environment has the potential to define or categorise me, how do I break out?
 
If my subconscious yearns for something greater, how do I trust it?
 
In all, how do I define myself apart from the parameters that have defined me in the past?
 
I am asking these questions because a series like these should be a platform to answer questions lurking in people’s minds. I should find laid down principles and answers if I were to be a hopeless or dejected person looking for direction. So my challenge to you is to guide me, not necessarily help me, find my identity and trust my person or like you say; be comfortable in my own skin.! Continue reading →

No Matter What

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Life is full of risks. We often avoid taking them because we fear getting hurt, getting scarred, losing ourselves in the process. 

But when you really think about it, a safe life is a boring one.

How can you discover new and exciting things if you are too afraid to try?

How can you gain your heart’s desires if you don’t put yourself out there?

Fear is debilitating and often groundless. The only way to fight it is to take a leap of faith and damn the consequences. The very phrase “leap of faith” is an affirmation of the necessity of action. You must act before you can overcome fear. It’s hard, I know. Everyone struggles with it. We’re only human and fear is a natural reaction to the unknown. It is, however, also a restriction from the exhilarating and the thrilling.

Everybody gets hurt. We all bleed. We all ache. It’s left to each person to love hard and for real no matter what. 

Choose to live without restrictions and regrets. Every mistake is a learning opportunity, and every failed experiment is one step closer to success. 

Choose to grab life in both hands and make it a full experience. Taste the exotic. Embrace the thrilling. Live the fabulous. No matter what.

The Will to Live

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For those who know me on a personal level, it is no secret that I believe we need to stop existing and start living. 

As individuals, as members of our families and communities, as citizens of our countries, and as members of the global community, it is time to live. 

It is no longer enough to simply strive for the basics, to accept perceived limitations and restraints, to settle for what they say is possible and let go of “unrealistic” dreams.

If we do not try, who will? If you do not take a stand now, then when? Complacency is comfortable, but also deadly. It is no longer enough to blame widespread problems on governments; what about the people? What are we doing to turn our lives around? What are we doing to eradicate poverty, unemployment, crime rates, and other societal afflictions? 

We leave so much to the government, shake our heads and wonder what the world is coming to, but how often do we ask ourselves what we can do to improve the world? It is often said that Utopia is an unattainable illusion, that such a paradise cannot last on this earth. So what? So what if we fall short of perfection? It is more honourable to strive for it than to remain locked in stagnation.

Break free today. Make the vow to start a revolution, to propagate a new way of thinking and a new way of life. A fellow blogger once said “you are what you believe” and it is a true statement. 

If you believe things will never change, they won’t. If you believe that there is no point in trying because your efforts would only be wasted, you won’t achieve anything. 

But if you believe that change is possible, that you can make a difference, then you will. If you believe you can work with others towards a better world and make it happen, you can. 

I believe in idealism.

I believe in positivity and the ability to leave a lasting impact as your legacy. Many will read these lines and scoff at my so-called naivete, and to them I say this: cynics live lives empty of the hope and passion enjoyed by dreamers. Naysayers are not happy people, innit?

The will to live. It is the desire to live a full life, the passion to experience more, and the determination to keep moving forward beyond all obstacles. It is not limited to personal gain and comfort, and it is not restricted to a chosen few.

It is a way of life embraced by heroes and pioneers, by dreamers and children, by those with hope and those with faith. Faith in human good, in values and ideals; hope for better days and brighter tomorrows, for a safer world for our children, for the continuous reign of peace over war; and the sacrifices made to protect these things are what make us heroes. We are all heroes. We are all protectors. Some of us have forgotten, and some have cast aside their roles.

I urge you to remember. Remember who and what you are. You are a beautiful person with potential and worth. 

Rouse yourself from slumber and be an agent of change. Act against bribery and corruption. Fight against oppression of the poor and the helpless. Work towards a kinder and safer society. 

Enough time has been spent wishing and waiting for something to happen; now is the time to make that nebulous “something” into concrete reality. 

It starts today, and it starts with you.

Your Life, Your Rules

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Isn’t it funny how those who try to force their views on you never want to hear what you think? It is always about them: how right they are, how wrong you are for refusing their wisdom, and how much better the world would be if everyone followed their advice. Indeed.

Doesn’t it stand to reason that the best ways are not always the loudest or most forceful ones? In a throwback to an earlier post, high volume does not necessarily indicate proper thought or correct reasoning. If I walked around with a megaphone and swore that giving me all your money was the key to solving your problems, would you believe me? I’d do it for many days, everywhere I go, nine to five even. :) Heh heh heh. But yeah, would you accept it? No? What if I had a large followership, would that do the trick?

Anyway, I don’t mean to communicate mostly through questions. This is not an examination, LOL. It just seems like some people expect one to accept their opinions sans any resistance or thinking on one’s part. I’m like, really? They obviously believe in what they have to say, so much so that they feel compelled to spread the word. OK great, no problem at all. But it irks me when that belief is used as an excuse to shove ideology down my throat whether I like it or not. I have a brain, innit? I have the right to decide, to choose what I do and how I do it.

We all live our lives according to our rules (except for the enslaved and/or oppressed), and we protect our right to do so with everything we have. That is why people from different schools of thought are susceptible to violent disagreement. It is possible for an argument to get so heated, so emotionally intense, so personal that anything can happen because the individuals involved react to threats against a basic human right. I mean, of course, the right to choose.

If another person belittles or condemns your choices, he/she indirectly challenges your decisions and your lifestyle. In other words, you are judged and found wanting. If you also think you are wrong and need to change, then you interpret such a challenge as a wake-up call to turn your life around and improve yourself.

But, what if that’s not the case? What if you’re quite happy with the way things are, thank you very much, and you don’t need anyone’s grief or hassle? That is when you take it as an affront to your person and react accordingly. You may not make a scene then and there, but you will definitely resent the intrusion on your privacy. Like how nosy can people get, right? I certainly think so. If that resentment is not speedily expressed, it festers and hardens into a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. Heaven help the poor souls around you when that happens, eh? It would not be a pretty sight.

So. Your life, your rules. Words to live by, methinks. As always, keep it positive and healthy. 😉

The Banner of Social Awareness

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It can be flown anytime, anywhere, by anyone. It is a way of life: a belief system that transcends age, gender, and political or religious affiliation. The ability to operate on a higher plane of awareness, to envision progress on a grand scale, to make your dreams reality and effect widespread change: that is flying the banner.

You don’t have to be a genius for people to listen. You don’t have to be drop-dead gorgeous, filthy rich, or terribly prestigious to get others interested in your cause. You just need the core of a great idea. When you allow yourself the illumination of imagination, you tread the path of transformation.

What you see and what could be are often two sides of the same coin, and they are separated only by your ability to recognise that. So when you find yourself wondering if things can’t be different, you are simply following the lead of your subconscious, which by the way is more in tune with the world around you than your conscious self. The subconscious is not bound by any laws or restrictions; it simply exists. As such, its potential is limitless and its scope of vision is much wider than one would allow the conscious mind.

Questioning the status quo is often the psyche prodding one to reach higher and do better, to go beyond the constraints placed on us by others and achieve what we see in the mind’s eye. It is the subliminal urge to step outside a comfort zone and stretch for excellence, to challenge oneself on a constant basis, to aim for a lasting legacy of enlightenment and positive change.

Deep down in each and every one of us, we know when a situation can be better. We know when something can be improved or renewed, when change is inevitable, and when it is necessary to act or risk being stifled. We know when we must cast off apathy and achieve the “impossible”. It is left to us to be courageous enough to take that first step.

In order to fly the banner, you must act. In order to act, you must believe. In order to believe, you must think. Think. Task your mind. Mine the treasures waiting within you. Know that having a vision seemingly ahead of your time or generation is an awesome thing, a sure sign that you are aware of the power of an open mind. When your mind is broad, limber, and receptive to new ideas, you are capable of great things.

Embrace the chance to be the best version of yourself. Live your dreams. Fly the banner with pride.

Acrobatic Cerebra

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I once read that we don’t use up to 10% of our brains. OK I’m not exactly sure about the percentage, but something like that anyway. Made me wonder how that’s possible, I mean we do so much every single day and yeah it may not be rocket science but surely all that activity would take up a large portion of the brain? Apparently not.

I believe it’s worthwhile to challenge your mind. For some reason I’m all about intellectual stimulation and tasking oneself to improve on a regular basis. I mean, each of us has so much potential, you know? But we let it lie dormant, we only tap into it occasionally and even then just for a short period. Or am I generalising? Maybe. When you really think about it, though, do you truly push yourself to flex your cerebral muscles? You do? How neat. :)

Acrobatic Cerebra. The brain is an incredibly important asset. Let’s keep it limber.