WATCHING?

The easiest time for the devil to catch you is when you are not watching and truth is most times, we are not. Note that I said we because I don’t count myself out of the equation. Like we were taught in bible school, the easiest or best time for the devil to strike a believer is just after a victory while you are still celebrating and adrenalin is still high.

I’ll like to explain this using the analogy of a man/woman relationship; it is no longer news that the divorce rate all over the world has sky-rocketed, even Africa has joined the bandwagon. No matter what side of the divide of the divorce argument you are on, it really doesn’t move me because deep down, we all know what the truth is on the subject matter, whether we accept it or not is another thing all together same goes for homosexuality.

Back to the point I was trying to make, two people come together and before a congregation of witnesses (big/small) proclaim their unfailing/unwavering love for each other and then a few days, weeks, months or years as the case may be down the line, the same set of people claim to not love each other anymore and seek for divorce more often than not, siting irreconcilable differences as the reason for divorce. The way I see it for the purpose of the point I am trying to make, when a guy is still trying to get a girl or the girl is positioning herself to be wifed (hope the ladies don’t call for my head for that *winks*) you notice that they go all out to plan outings, hang out, chose what to wear, seek for ways to please and wow the intended other, then they get married and fall into routines and stop “WATCHING”.

They “stop” seeking for ways to please the other and just flow along with events as they arise after all we are married is the general attitude towards things. Throw children into the mix and gradually, attention is drawn away from each other to so many other “important” things and at the end, one question usually crops up (in the movies lol); How did we get here? Answer is very simple, you stopped watching.

When you were waiting on God for the fruit of the womb, when you were looking for a job, when the business wasn’t doing so well, when no man had come to say hi, when you didn’t have food on your table, how long did you spend seeking the face of God on these matters? How many church functions did you attend? How much time did you spend in studying the Word and praying? What was your relationship with God like?

Now you have been wifed, you have gotten that child, you have a great job, business is booming, you are married, you can afford whatever you want, how much time do spend seeking God’s face? There is nothing more to pray for baa? There are not so many battles to fight anymore abi? You don't see it yet, but things are gradually falling into a routine with God and trust me, the enemy is brewing something.

Reality is, in that state of everything being fine, do you think the one you fought to attain this victory will just go and relax and allow you have an everlasting ball? NO. He will go back and re-strategize and re-group to see if he can break you.

Have you ever been in that place where you feel you are okay in your stand with God you pray in tongues and all and then out of the blues, you do something very "un-Christianly", you commit one of the sins we usually will refer to as the weightier sins? And you wonder how did that happen, how did I get here? The response usually is; I fell into sin, sorry to bust your bubble, you did not fall, you walked right into it with eyes wide open and it was a choice you made un-aided. I have been there and I have also had time to think through the entire process asking questions as to what went wrong and each time, I have turned up with the same answer, I wasn’t watching.

Scripture says watch and pray, which means that watching alone is not enough, there also has to be a prayer backing. Jesus told Peter; The devil has sort to sieve you as chaff, but I have prayed for you, Peter did not see that the devil had plans for him but Jesus did. He was in a good place, doing well with the master, he was in a position to lead the team of disciples, he was in Jesus’ inner cacus and things were very alright, but he wasn’t watching, he wasn't aware of his environment (both spiritual and physical).

I always try to end with thought provoking personal assessment questions so here goes; are you watching? Can you see beyond where you stand right now? Are there things you can readily pin point in your relationship with God and people as possible danger signs? If yes, what are you doing or what have you done about them? Think about these things.

Don’t be caught unawares, WATCH and while watching Pray.

SELAH!

I remain committed to your Peak Performance.

@IamOluwaObinna

BUILDING MUSCLES OR ADDING FLESH

When you are as skinny as I am, every single kilogram of weight you gain or lose counts for something. I have a friend that have turned family who has never weighed above 55kg even after giving birth to the prettiest Ibadan boy I have ever met, I also recently I heard of a guy who is yet to hit the 52kg mark. When you fall into this category, every kg matters.

Some three weeks ago, for some reason I began to rigorously work out again. I say again because like so many of you reading this post, I used to have a gym membership somewhere and like you too, I must confess that it has been forever since I last went to a gym to work out.

But I took the work out sessions quite seriously this time around. Within the first week I saw significant improvements and this spurred me on. My shirts were tighter lol, I had a great bust of energy, slept better, it felt good and I got a couple of other guys to join me in the work out sessions too.

 Then I fell ill last week. As the nurses were taking my vital signs, I smiled when I saw what I weighed; the hard work had paid off. I was back at the hospital three days later for another check-up and apparently I had lost 1kg. I was so excited that it was just 1kg and I’ll tell you why I was that excited; in time past, whenever I fall ill like that, the weight loss was so drastic that everyone kept asking if I was okay and it was difficult to use the “Faith lingua” (I am well) because the look on their faces tells you that you don’t look alright.

It was on my way home from the hospital that I began to meditate on this topic and relating the difference in weight loss from this experience and my past experiences with our walk with God.

This was my deduction; because in times past I just put on flesh, I lost weight faster in times of sickness than I did when I worked out and built muscles. It takes a longer time to lose muscles than to lose flesh (that didn’t sound right but you sha catch my drift).

When you build your spiritual muscles in the place of studying, meditating on the Word, praying and fellowshipping with brethren, it is much more difficult for you to lose spiritual weight in the times of dryness which we all experience from time to time. But when you are just adding spiritual flesh ie you are okay with just what your pastor says, you don’t do any study or research for yourself, you only fellowship with brethren on Sundays, your prayer life is neither here nor there, it makes you susceptible to losing spiritual weight faster in the times of dryness.

So examine yourself and truthfully answer the question; Am I building muscles or just adding flesh?

Have a splendid week.

BE ENCOURAGED

I have not written in a long while but I felt compelled to do so tonight, and the fact that I am losing my beauty sleep over it tells you how compelling it is.

I hung out with family yesterday, it was David’s birthday and amidst the wining and dining and laughter, It hit me how far God has brought us all. We were almost complete from the original group of us that started out, at least the bunch of us around formed a quorum. The beautiful thing was that there were wives and children now involved in the mix, the men were standing in a corner gisting about I can’t remember what lol, the women were seated with the children or in some instances running after the children all looking cute and pretty, there were just two of us that didn’t show up with our wives; So’Kleen because his wife had to be somewhere with his daughter and I because my wife is…….

I know all you aploko people will want to follow up on that last line, so follow me on twitter @IamOluwaObinna lets talk more about it #tongueout.

But the beautiful picture in that garden yesterday took me back about five or six years ago when we were mostly starting out. Scripture says despise not the days of little beginnings and that is so true. I still remember like yesterday when we used to rejoice over getting 500 naira for 4 hefty men to feed with. I remember holding a 3 to 4 hours worship service for bread and eggs that was delivered by a kind neighbour who wasn't aware that boys had gone for a long while without food to eat. I remember embarking on compulsory prayers and fasting not necessarily because we had any special thing to pray for but because we didn't have food to eat and had exhausted all our credit facilities which by the way was almost non-existent. I remember our ark of covenant (Tosin’s car) being on red for so long that after a while, the red light stopped coming up because we never fueled it enough to bring it out of the red zone and on the rare occasions when we will buy much fuel say like 2k worth, the thing will be on red though the pointer is showing we had at least half tank. In my mind I’m thinking the car is so sure there was a special occasion or maybe we were going for showers so it didn't want to waste energy ‘cos it was coming back to red zone soon.

It’s not a pity party I’m just going down memory lane. The guy someone was running after today hailing him chairman and asking that he bless his boys, I saw that same guy a few years back breakdown in tears and cry like a baby because of how hard things where.

You might be going through a situation right now and don’t have a clue where help could possibly come from or how long the situation is going to last for, it might seem like nothing is working out for you and everyone you had hoped will be a helping hand has disappointed you. It might seem like the end of the road, you might even have contemplated suicide (you are not the first to do so). One of us described it as the feeling of carrying a caterpillar on your chest while sleeping (it’s a horrible experience; believe me I've been there). The situation might be so bad that it has stolen your joy and sleep, it might have turned you to a prayer point for friends and family and they are praying not to mock you but in love. Your younger ones that are still in school might be the ones rallying round seeking for how to help you (I believe someone needed to hear that last line), people around might even have called you names.

I don’t know what your case is but my God woke me up tonight to tell you this: He says “I know the thoughts that I think towards you, they are thoughts of GOOD not of evil to give you an expected end” He says; “Many are the afflictions of the RIGHTEOUS, but I deliver him from them all”. My ears are not deaf to hear your cries says the Lord but I need you to build muscles.

I encourage you, hold on, be strong, don’t lose hope, don’t lose faith, keep keeping on and in no distant time, you shall be celebrated. My God is on your case and He is mighty to save. If only He can open your eyes to see where He is taking you to, then you won’t have to worry about any thing.

It is important to note that your case might be on a Long thing if you are yet to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior but that can be remedied now.

If you’ll like to receive Christ into your heart, kindly say this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, I come to you this day acknowledging that I am a sinner and that you died on the cross to save me, I confess my sins before you and I forsake them, I invite you into my heart, be my Lord and Master, Thank You for saving me in Jesus’ mighty name I pray.

If you just said that prayer with me, congratulations you are now born again, kindly seek a bible believing church in your area and fellowship with them. God is on your matter; also know that I’ll be praying for you.

As we were leaving the event yesterday, there was joy in my heart, the same guys that all used to ride in one ark were driving out in their own cars, some brand new some fairly used but none a model before 2008. Call me vain, I agree, but I have a taste for the finer things of life and I also have a good memory of where God has brought us from hence I notice those vain details.

I will like to end with a scripture I love so much ‘cos I just asked for permission to sleep:

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which SHALL be revealed in us.

No matter what it is you are going through, just note that your best days are yet ahead.

May my God strengthen and encourage you.

This is me wishing you a great week ahead.

Shalom!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

The human mind is complex yet simple and understanding the way it functions and how we can relate with it can help you attain phenomenal results consistently.

Recently I began to review the challenges we have in this Nation Nigeria and I realized that the major issue with Nigeria is not the system or the structure but the people. Now I can assure you that if you move Americans to this geographical area known as Nigeria and move Nigerians to the geographical area known as America, in about 5yrs, Nigeria will be a better place and America would not be the same and the reason is not far fetched, the people are the nation.

So what is the issue with Nigerians?

I summarize it with one word CHARACTER

Technically, character is a morally neutral term describing the nature of a person in terms of major qualities. So everyone has a character.

In most situations, however, when we are talking about a person’s character we are referring to the sum total of his or her moral qualities: is she a good person or bad person, is he worthy of trust and admiration or not.

So when we say someone has good character we are expressing the opinion that his or her nature is defined by worthy traits like integrity, courage, and compassion. People of good character are guided by ethical principles even when it’s physically dangerous or detrimental to their careers, social standing, or economic well-being. They do the right thing even when it costs more than they want to pay.

Now going by what I just described character to be, can you see why I said the problem with Nigeria is the people?

Maybe I should even ask the question; Will you do the right thing and abide by ethical principles even when it is physically dangerous or detrimental to your career, social standing or economic (financial) well-being? Notice that I didn't bring God into the picture just so you don’t go all religious on me, we are talking morals here.

Keep your answer to yourself and try to imagine how other Nigerians will respond to this question then you will know why despite how religious Nigerians are, it doesn't reflect in the society at all.

No one is born with good character; it’s not a hereditary trait. And it isn't determined by a single noble act. Character is established by conscientious adherence to moral values, not by lofty rhetoric or good intentions. This is why we must be a good example to ourselves first then our children.

Are we teaching our children to be a people of integrity, to be respectful, kind, loving caring, compassionate, to be their neighbor’s keeper, to be gentlemen and ladies, to treat others with respect, to be reliable, to be tolerant and have a good reputation? Are we teaching them values, to be credible, to be accountable, to save and care for the needy?

We owe it to ourselves first and then our children and ultimately Nigeria to be a people of good character.

Good Character begets Strength and it cannot be faulted anywhere in the world.

Be The Change, and together let us make Nigeria Better.

I WEPT

Was standing there in the middle of the room trying to grab a meal, bowl of cereal in hand and then water drops on my arm. I’m thinking; I’m yet to add water to the cereal so water couldn't have splashed from the bowl, so where did that come from?

There comes another drop and another drop and yet another drop, I’m a bit confused now, what exactly is going on?

Then I realized it wasn't water, tears were rolling down my eyes and truth is, it didn't make an iota of sense to me. Why in God’s name am I crying? All of a sudden my hands were beginning to shake, so I drop the bowl of cereal so as not to spill it on my nice Formica floor (can’t even figure out why that silly thought was on my mind at the time), I sit on the floor shaking uncontrollably as the tears flowed in their torrents.

My conscious mind had no idea why I was crying so uncontrollably, but it felt nice, like having a cool shower on a day you weren't even planning on getting up from the bed lol. In my entire adult life, as far as I can remember, this was only the second time I was crying. I didn't even shed a tear when my dad passed, my ideology was that real men suck it up and move on and so did I. plus someone had to be the man and run things on the home front and I couldn't let that someone be anybody else.

The first time ever I shed a tear for whatever reason was a life changing moment that birthed the Obinna that most of you know today and the only human alive that witnessed that was Ebi and that event seems like a very long time ago now, so I’m wondering, what exactly is going on? Could this be another life changing moment? (With hindsight, it was).

Sitting there on the floor, still weeping (crying does not seem to capture the moment properly) uncontrollably, I began to think of what could have “Suddenly” led to this gush of emotions. Then it dawned on me that it wasn't “Sudden”.

I had recently lost my job (which I didn't see coming), my relationship which I thought was okay didn't seem that way anymore and all around me, life seemed to be going on alright without me being an active part of it. I was in a limbo. I have the tendencies of being workaholic, so I intensified my work rate, I kept myself very busy with activities.

If you know me well, you will know that I always have a plan and ten other back up plans in case anything goes wrong with Plan A. I know what I’m going to wear two weeks from now and it is all planned out, I am that meticulous in my planning and here I was in the middle of the park with so much activity going on but no clear sense of direction, but I kept on with the activities.

I had recently reached out to God in a silent brief prayer; “Lord help me, I am sinking”. The tears began to make sense. I could connect that prayer, my activities, and all the events in the recent weeks to the emotional outburst.

While I carried on with the motions of being okay, my sub conscious couldn't take it anymore and needed a release from all the turmoil that was going on inside of me. Hence the tears.

Let me talk a little about activities especially with us church folks.

I know we preach Faith, Positive confessions, Faking it until you make it, etc all of which I am 100% in support of. Trust me, my brothers and I from the cave of Addullam have done some crazy faith stuff that only lives in the imaginations of many. But you see, you must also confront and face your current realities.

In the midst of all the turmoil that was obviously going on within me, I bottled it up and just increased the activities around me to silence the noise going on within and that my dear brother and sister is a highway to depression trust me, I've been there.

We must know when to reach out and who to reach out to.

Yes we keep up the Faith Talk

Yes we keep up the Positive confessions

Yes we keep on the Faith Walk,

But then we must have a channel to let out the welled up emotions or else it will consume you.

Thing is, I don’t know if I would have come to this conclusion had I not said that prayer earlier that day but boy I’m glad I did say the prayer.

And as I sat down there weeping uncontrollably, thinking through details of some of the things I have shared with you while still weeping, I got to a point where I just knew that something had changed. I can’t tell you I heard God say something (I’ll be lying if I say so), but I just knew that something was different, I knew something had changed.

In the midst of my tears, I burst out praying in the Holy Ghost and the interpretation I got of all I was saying was; “Lord use me anyhow you deem fit”.

A few months later I had a sit down with a friend and for the first time I talked about some of the issues I passed through during this period and that chat led to my post on this blog “ITS OKAY TO BE CONFUSED”. If you haven’t read it, please scroll down and do so, and if you have, it’s okay to read it again.

I didn't write this post to gist you how I wept; NO. It is actually 4.30am and I have been awake for the past 2hrs 31mins or so because I have a burden in my heart that someone needs to hear this:

Crying doesn't make you a sissy; it doesn't make you any less a man or woman. The way I see it, it makes you more of a man to show emotions after all, Jesus wept lol. It’s amazing how much better it makes you feel when you let go of all that emotion and burst out, it’s quite therapeutic.

Now some of you might want to lock up yourself somewhere and cry or get a shoulder to lean on, whichever works for you is okay so long as you let go of those piled up emotions, they just might be killing you.

There is someone reading this post right now and it seems as if the whole world is crashing down on you. One of you has this back pain in your upper shoulder region, the other has pains on her right side and it runs all the way from somewhere under your armpits to your waist region another has migraines that comes in passing flashes, I speak a release of the peace of The Lord into you, receive calmness in your spirit man, you are healed.

There is someone else who is on the brink of giving up hope, you are done trying, God said I should tell you to hang in there. Suddenly something will happen that will wipe your tears away.

I am here today, months later and I am way better, I am Stronger, I am Wiser, and above all, I am fulfilling Purpose. I am helping people get out of bad situations, I am helping people find and pursue purpose and truth is, it feels so good.

So talk to someone today. Wives talk to your husbands; Husbands talk to your wives. Don’t let it become an issue before you share it; don’t make them try to figure out what is going on in your head. My guys and babes that are still single, please make yourself accountable to someone, don’t be a lone ranger, it is not safe. Scripture says “In the multitude of ‘godly’ counsel, there is safety.

If you want to, you can talk to me. Send me an email: onyekwere.obinnaya@yahoo.com or follow me on twitter @IamOluwaObinna BB pin: 23275ED1

God Bless You!

WHO SEND YOU?

So I’ve been away for a few weeks now, had to step away from blogging, business, ministry everything for a little while so that I can recharge my inner batteries and boy did I miss writing and sharing with you but not to worry, there are so many deep insights I received during this time out that I would be sharing with you via this medium and on my twitter handle @IamOluwaObinna and I believe that the Oil of gladness will well up on your inside with great revelational knowledge to enable you impact your sphere of influence positively.

Was in a dilemma what to write about first but the more I dwelt on it, the more convinced I was to start from the very beginning.

So I asked the question; Where am I in relation to where You (God) want me to be? Truth is most times the response we get to that question is either mind boggling or depressing so I braced myself for shocker but the response I got made me numb.

Baba: Who sent you???

Me: Huh!!! How can You be asking me that sort of question?

Silence…. I’m thinking; I won’t say anything until He tells me what He meant by that question (forgetting He is omniscient).

Baba: Take a little while and think about it deeply, who sent you?

As I pondered on those words, it began to make sense. I have been carrying out a lot of activities which truthfully made sense to me but I didn't inquire from The Lord before embarking on some of them and then I responded Him and said ‘I sent myself’. From that point onward  it was so easy understanding so many events of the past few months and it was easier charting a road map for the way forward.

Its amazing how God is interested in the most trivial of things that we do, but unfortunately we leave Him out of them and only involve Him in the “Major” things.

So I throw the question back at you; Who sent you?

The guy you are dating now, the babe you are about to marry, the business deal you are on the verge of sealing, the soup you are about to make, the dress you intend to wear for that occasion, the list is endless. Did you inquire of the Lord before any of that?

If you didn't, then don’t come running back to Him when you run into challenges along the way because the question will be; WHO SEND YOU?

Selah!

WHOSE WORK?

I went to bed last night very angry in my spirit for Nigeria, I had just seen the video on youtube of the debacle that went down in the Rivers state house of assembly on Monday where the speaker of the house requested for security at the house of assembly complex to be beefed up and the police were reluctant to respond and when they eventually did, the police men sent to the complex were just watching as mayhem was being perpetrated by men that are supposed to be leaders, fathers and family men, the video even shows one of the police men hitting someone that was obviously pro governor R A and it had to take the governor coming around with his security detail for sanity to be restored not after some combat style display by the security detail attached to the governor who funny enough are also police men.

As if that was not enough, another video shows a clown who obviously is a member of the Vikings confraternity and unfortunately happens to be an “honorable” member of the house storm the same complex with thugs wanting to forcefully enter the chambers with his boys on Tuesday. His claim to fame was that the governor came and supervised the beating up of his colleagues (as if we all didn't see a video clip of what went down the day before) and that the governor insulted his mother (Dame Patience Jonathan) and the President.

This morning, a thought dropped in my heart and I began to see the whole thing in an entirely different light. The clown mentioned above and all the other stooges like him are simply fulfilling purpose howbeit running on another man’s purpose/vision.

Makes me ask the question; the things you are doing both in your life and career, are you fulfilling your purpose or are you running on another man’s vision and helping them fulfill their own purpose?

Maybe I should even ask; can you in one short sentence spell out your purpose in life? If you can, I am very happy for you, it means you have a clear idea where you are headed to in life and there are a few things as fulfilling as clarity of purpose. I’ll like you to do me a favor, I’ll like you to put your purpose down in writing and put it in a place where you can see it always and whenever you take an action or you are considering what actions to take about something, ask yourself; how does this action impact on my purpose? You will find out that there are so many things you bother your head over that are not necessary. 

If you aren't clear about your purpose, ask yourself; what do I love doing? If I offered to pay you N300,000 every month tax free to do whatever you liked, what will that thing be? Your answers to these questions should be a pointer in the direction of purpose; you can also pray and ask God to show you what you are here for since He is our maker and knows for what purpose you were created.

You can book for your coaching session with me, let us help you set and achieve your desired goals. Send an email now to onyekwere.obinnaya@yahoo.com or an sms to +234 806 560 2683.

Stay Cre8ive 

BEFORE YOU LAMENT, REMEMBER!!!

Amazingly, we are in July already and it wasn’t too long ago we were saying happy new year to each other and just like that six months are gone by wow!

If you are like me, I’m sure you’ll have gone through your goals for the year and checked the list to find out what has been done, which of the goals is in the works already and what is yet to be touched or attended to. And assuming you didn't set goals for the year and all you did was make New year resolutions and you seem not to have kept your promise to stick to your resolve (I’m sincerely hoping there are a few people that fall within this category, not that I wish you bad, but a little solidarity doesn't hurt hehehe) not to worry, you are not alone.

I did a double check yesterday, tried to evaluate the first half of the year in terms of some set targets that I had for myself. I broke it down into Spiritual, Financial, Social, Educational and Emotional, I don’t want to bore you with the details of that evaluation but though I had done exceptionally well in some areas, I had failed woefully in certain key areas.

So I sat down to carry out a diagnostic analysis of what went wrong and check why I was unable to even attempt to pursue some of the major goals for the year. As I broke it down, some negative emotions began to well up within me (that voice saying in a condemning tone; you could have done this or said this or made that phone call, or paid that visit, or submitted that proposal, it may vary what the voice may tell you but you have an idea what I’m talking about), unconsciously I was listening to that voice and gradually began to feel regret, remorse, anger, pain… and I was just about to lash out within me when that still small voice said “Before you lament, Remember”.

I stopped in my tracks and immediately entered auto-recall.

I thought about it, I didn't do as well as I had planned, but I didn't do badly either actually I over delivered in some areas. Some people started with me at the beginning of the year but today they are no more. I have not had any cause to be admitted in the hospital neither have I lacked food, clothing or shelter. Most of the things I own some people will kill, rob and commit fraud for. I have obtained favor in so many areas I cannot even remember them all. This year alone I have met with and robbed minds with some very influential people in both the business world and ministry, I have formed new alliances that pose tremendous potentials and assuming none of that was worth anything, I am alive and well today. Wow!!!

So I throw it back to you, I know you wanted to be married by now, I know you should have bought that car or built that house or gotten that job or gone for that course or started that business. There are so many things that you would have loved to do or have, you may even have planned for them but they are yet to materialize but just before you begin to lament and complain, I want you to take a little time and remember what you have.

You are alive, you are well, you can eat and sleep, you drive a car (maybe not but you can afford to take a cab or bus or bike), you live in a house and not the streets, your children are not wayward, they do well in school and even if you don’t have a child yet, you have a spouse that loves you (churches abound with people seeking life partners). You have a job (though it’s not your dream job but you have one), I could go on but I’ll like you to take some time to reflect on those things that you have and you are yet to show gratitude to God for. Before You Lament, Remember.

Yesterday I paid a visit to someone whose wife passed recently and it was an experience that will stay with me for a very long while. We need to be grateful for the things we have now while working on the things we seek to have, today is a definite tomorrow a mystery but the maker of the universe knows it all.

BEFORE YOU LAMENT, REMEMBER!

Stay Thankful. 

IT IS OKAY TO BE CONFUSED

Yesterday was a very good day for me, my pastor was on fire, the message was on something I have always believed in and preached and it re-ignited a fire within my bones.  I wrote more articles in one day than I have done in a long while and that felt really good because when I speak and write, I really am in my elements. Then I had a meeting with a brother and friend and the content of this post is an outcome of one of the so many things we discussed. I’m leaving out the part of the day that was spent with the “SHE who must be obeyed” ‘cos that’s none of your business lol.

There are some people you meet and it seems as if God cut you guys out of the same mould if you know what I mean, my meeting yesterday was with one of such people and I hold him very dear to my heart. It’s amazing how my light bulbs light up each time we meet and I always leave with fresh ideas and rejuvenated momentum to influence the business world so Bro we have to hold more of these our sessions (I know he’s reading this and has a big grin on his face right now) .

My purpose is to help you be all that you were created to be and that makes me to keep seeking new ways to help you succeed. I have heard so many success stories and I have read countless books on the success of people and businesses, I have even studied the trajectory of my life and accomplishments and of it all, I can make bold to say that IT IS OKAY TO BE CONFUSED sometimes.

I know so many motivational and inspirational speakers (like me) and books have told you how you should have a clearly set goal and a plan to achieve that goal and a set timeline to attaining the goal and I’m completely not trying to undermine the importance of all of that because they are actually quite key because “when purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable”, I am saying that it is okay sometimes not to have an idea of what’s next.

It is okay sometimes not to know the type of person you want to marry, it is okay sometimes not to know what career to choose, it is okay sometimes not to know what business you want to go into, it is okay sometimes not to have clarity about your life and purpose, it is okay sometimes to be in doubt, it is okay sometimes to be afraid, it is okay sometimes not to know what the plan is but IT IS NOT OKAY TO REMAIN THERE.

As human beings, there are periods of uncertainty associated with wavering emotions that has a drowning-like feeling to it, anyone that has been there before can associate with what I’m saying. It seems as if the whole world is passing by you and you are the only one on standstill (wink at the screen if you know what I mean lol) I want you to know that you are not the only one that ever felt or feels that way, what you are going through is not peculiar to you and its okay to feel that way but I reiterate that it’s a taboo to remain there.

Staying in that place of uncertainty for too long is a major cause of depression and believe me when I say this, depression is a killer. As a Life Coach I’ve come across people with suicidal tendencies stemming from depression so I know what I’m talking about, we are not talking depression today so I won’t elaborate on that, we will have a platform soon where we will discuss “Deadly Emotions” I’ll keep you posted. What I’m saying is that you cannot afford to remain in that place of uncertainty for too long, it is risky business.

I believe and teach that there are no un-resourceful people, only un-resourceful states. When you find yourself in that state of uncertainty, it could be one of two things:

1. It might be an opportunity for you to learn more about the power embedded in your sub-conscious mind. Scripture says “I have not given you a spirit of fear but of Love of Power and a SOUND MIND”, You are actually more resourceful and powerful than you know but sometimes you may need someone to help you mine the vast resources of your mind I can help you with that. You can book for a Coaching session with me, send an email to onyekwere.obinnaya@yahoo.com you’ll be glad you did.
2. It may be God seeking your attention to surrender your will to Him. Sometimes we run ahead of God and do some things that we think are right and somewhere in between we get stock and lost in the middle of a mess and all God is waiting for is for you to invite Him to take charge and guide you out of the mess and into His perfect will for you.

Whichever one it is, don’t allow yourself remain in that un-resourceful state. It’s amazing how a simple prayer like “Lord I don’t know what to do help me and please order my steps” can turn everything around in your favour.

It is okay to be confused, but don’t stay confused. Do something about it.

Stay Blessed.

ff me on twitter @IamOluwaObinna

APPRECIATE

A friend of mine sent this to me this morning and I thought it wise to share with you. Short story but very precise:

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by and took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words on it. He put the sign back on the boy so that everyone who walked by could see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up, a lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. Later that afternoon the man who had changed the sign came by that path and the boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man answered and said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. "I wrote: Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind, but the first sign simply said the boy was blind while the second sign reminded people how fortunate they were to have their sight. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the story: Be thankful for what you have, Be Creative and Innovative in giving thanks to God. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. Face your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Its a beautiful thing to see a person smile but even more beautiful to know that you put the smile on their face!
 Faith is not about everything being ok, Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out.

If you Appreciate this message, Please share this link, you may touch someone's heart today and forever.

Impact your generation Positively.

God Bless You

ON TRACK

I know you are thinking I forgot all about you since I haven’t posted anything in almost two weeks, my sincere apologies, life was happening in fast torrents and I had to respond accordingly.

While we were both busy leading our lives, I was heading to the office one blessed morning in rush hour traffic and as I approached the toll gate, I was in a dilemma which lane to follow. Within me I heard That small voice that is always coming up when you want to do bad thing lol say; Choose a lane and stay on it. I asked which of the lanes to follow? And the response was; any one will do for this lesson. 

Lesson???

 I was still wondering what lesson and as I looked out of the window, I saw this 2012/2013 looking model of Audi whew!!! sleek doesn't come close to describing it. You know I love cars and a 2011 Camry is still the car I am getting this year prior to the upgrade to HSE Sport hehehe so I have started accepting gifts and donations towards this worthy course, all cheques should be made in favour of………

Ogbeni wake up; as I was saying, the car slid by smoothly and got into the lane I was initially thinking I’ll take (his car was faster so he beat me to it. Caroline(that's what i call my car) is serving me well, but I seriously need this upgrade so kindly send in your donations early *winks*). I stayed on my lane and kept rolling towards the booth to pass the toll gate.

As it got to my turn, I don’t know what made me turn to look at the other lane again, not like I expected to see the Audi, it should have been long gone since it was like five cars ahead by virtue of its position on the other lane but lo and behold, there she was sitting pretty behind a car waiting to pass the toll gate. i started thinking unconsciously what could have possibly been the cause of the delay on that other lane. As I paid and passed the toll I looked back through my side mirrors, took one final glance and sped off.

That voice came again;

Lesson 1: Pick a lane and stay on it

Lesson 2: You might not be moving as fast as you want to, but you are moving keep moving

Lesson 3: Stop looking at other cars on their own lanes and how fast they are going, you will only run into the car in front of you (trouble) by doing so

Lesson 4: Did you notice that the lane you “thought” wasn’t moving fast enough was the same lane that led you to leaving the toll plaza before the cool car? Your perceptions can be limiting sometimes

Lesson 5: You really do need that car upgrade lol

I was going to try and do some breakdown, but I’ve been told that this is all I need to say.

You can send me an email if you have questions or would like to sign up for a Coaching session. My email address is onyekwereobinnaya@gmail.com or DM me on twitter @IamOluwaObinna

Stay Cre8tive. 

WANDERING THOUGHTS 2

I know I should be writing the sequel to wandering thoughts, but it really has been a busy week and busier two days lie ahead so I forget all the things seeking for my attention and throw myself in front of the TV for some ME time, I deserve it don’t I? Body no be firewood abeg. Biscuits and a drink in hand, I settle in for an evening with my friends in Hollywood.

Some twenty or so minutes later, I am looking at the screen and realize I can’t remember the name of the movie I’m watching and all the stunts they've

 been pulling was lost on me apparently I was deep in thought;

FIRST TIP: It is almost impossible to think strategically when you have things bothering you.

I really wanted to watch a movie, but without realizing it, my mind was still processing the article I was supposed to be writing and it wasn't until I almost spilled my drink did I remember that I brought some biscuits and a drink to aid my movie night. For you to be able to think strategically, you must consciously lay aside all other things that are vying for your attention at that moment or that might be a distraction to your thought process. 

Your mobile devices should not be around you, that red light can be a major distraction it can completely derail your thought process. I hear you thinking you can turn the phone upside down, guess what, the moment that light begins to blink or your device beeps, you cannot be at ease until you scroll through and verify what the alert was for, we are wired that way. Your key focus must be on the particular thing you want to be thinking of at that point, some other quite important things might want to crop up you have to consciously put them aside and apportion a time for it later, I couldn't concentrate on the movie because I had said earlier in the day that I was going to write this piece when I get home. 

This brings me to the second tip:

SECOND TIP: Create time specifically for thinking.

You need to consciously allot time to thinking, this is very important. Remember that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he, if we are a product of our thoughts, then it is imperative that we spend quality time thinking. There is this example that I use to buttress the issue of amount of time spent thinking; if you love food like I do, and your spouse was home all day and you come home to a plate of plain instant noodles and on another occasion you come home to a plate of fried rice (my personal favorite) garnished with salad and plenty meat, which day do you think the effort would yield better results (smack my lips and bat my eye lids)? I leave you to be the judge of that.

When you map out time for thinking, your sub conscious mind registers that time as thinking time and no matter what you are doing, when it gets to that time, your inner reminder will alert you that its thinking time and would keep bugging you until you leave whatever it is you are doing and attend to it or as noted above, you consciously re-schedule the time. I couldn't watch the movie because it was interfering with my writing time.

THIRD TIP: Think one Topic at a time.

As much as possible, make sure that during your strategic thinking time, you are dealing with just one topic at that particular time. This is actually a very difficult task but trust me, it will be worth every effort you put in to it. It is inevitable for other topics not to arise as you go deep into the topic you are dealing with, to help you resolve that;

FOURTH TIP: Have a note pad around when you are thinking strategically.

A lot of things are going to come up when you are thinking and it pays to have a note pad handy, the note pad will actually help you make sure you concentrate on one topic per strategic thinking time. From experience, I have actually come to realize that it is amazing what you can come up with when you begin to consciously connect all the things you wrote down while you were thinking.

FIFTH TIP: Be in a comfortable and relaxed environment.

I’ll advice that you choose a quiet environment; somewhere you can be relaxed and comfortable, the fewer the distractions, the higher the level of concentration. You also don’t want to sleep off in the middle of your thought process so that possibility should also be factored in while choosing a comfortable environment. I’ll advice you stay away from the bedroom as a choice of location except you have a reading table in your bedroom even at that, there is something about the bed in a bedroom that screams “come and sleep”.

SIXTH TIP: It’s not compulsory that you sort it all out in one sitting.

You don’t have to figure it all out in one sitting, there are times when you might have to drop that thought for the time being and revisit it on a later date so don’t beat up yourself when you are unable to crack the thought on your first try. There might just be a missing link somewhere which you might not have the required information at that point, so just let it go and carry on with other activities. I don’t know if you have been with someone before and the person goes “That’s it” and you ask what’s that? And they reply; you won’t understand. Apparently the person just got the connection to a prior thought.

SEVENTH TIP: There are no hard rules to it.

If you noticed I called these points tips that’s because they are just some guidelines it is not by any means exhaustive. The good part to it is that you can actually adopt your own style of strategic thinking and tailor it to suit your person and your time schedule. In as much as we are trying to be strategic, we should also be flexible it takes some pressure off the entire process.

Now I'm super sleepy but remember that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he; we are a product of the thoughts we have thought and acted upon in the past. So looking at yourself now, how do you grade your thoughts?

STAY PRODUCTIVE

AFRICA ARISE

I know I promised to share some tips on how to capture your thoughts and think strategically on my next post, but I came across some statistics over the weekend that left me a bit sad for a while, but after I had gotten over it, strengthened my resolve to champion a pragmatic mind shift in this generation. Maybe I should share some of the statistics I came across with you, that way you might have a better understanding what I’m talking about;

·         The major part of the world live in underdeveloped countries.

·         About 1.2 billion of the 6.7 billion people in the world live in underdeveloped countries (According to thefreedictionary.com, underdeveloped countries are poor unindustrialized countries that are “seeking” to develop its resources by industrialization).

·         According to the Economic and Social Council of The United Nations (UN), there are 50 underdeveloped/least developed countries in the world, 34 of them are in Africa.

·         Half or more of the adult population of 23 countries, mostly in Africa are uneducated (and you find some of these people in key leadership positions).

·         40% of the natural resources in the world are in Africa and Africa makes up just 10% of the population of the world.

·         In 2011, The World Health Organization(WHO) published a list of the Life expectancy in countries all over the world, Japan topped the list with 82.70 years, Canada had 81.54 as her life expectancy, USA 78.57, UK 80.49, UAE 75.67, Sierra Leone 46.53, China 75.56, Nigeria 53.20 by recent reports  Life expectancy in Nigeria has dropped to 47yrs

·         10% of children under 5yrs die at a rate in excess of 100 per 1000 in at least 32 countries mostly in Africa.

I could go on but I have no intentions to dampen your mood just wanted to highlight some information that is out there and represents a reality of the conditions surrounding us.

These statistics had me in deep thought for a long while over the weekend and I asked myself some salient questions like;

Why are we the way we are in Africa specially Nigeria? Did Africa do anything to God that all this negativity is found mainly in Africa? Then again I look at the fact that 40% of all the natural resources in the world is found in Africa so it’s not God’s fault, He God has blessed us exceedingly.

Is this blessing now a curse? Maybe, maybe not but there is just so much that doesn’t add up so I decided to try and localize the issue and figure it out from where I am.

I live in Lagos Nigeria and I have some great minds as friends (I don’t want to name names so that their heads wont pop and increase in size *grins*), anyways by virtue of my interactions with these great minds, I can generally say that Africa is not lacking in human resources, we are not. So if human resources isn't the issue, what then is?

Then in the course of the day, someone mentioned something about the centenary celebrations and how much it is estimated to cost the Nation to celebrate it, then it hit me, Africa’s major problem is our MINDSET. 

The slave trade did not help our “ministry” at all lol. How else can you explain a scenario where across an entire continent, corruption amongst government leaders is the order of the day and the people seem to be handicapped with regards to how to combat the menace? All over Africa, you find in all the countries a few people controlling the wealth of the entire nation while everyone else look up to these few people to be able to make it. An appointment into public offices is not by merit, but by who you know and what you are willing to give up to attain a desired position. The way I see it, we just drove out the white slave traders and replaced them with black slave traders which is why though we claim to be independent, we are still struggling to regain freedom hence the uprising in the South-South part of Nigeria and most recently the Northern part of Nigeria and all over Africa the civil wars abound.

Africa must change her Mind set in order to advance. We must be courageous enough to face the realities of the fact that we are still held bound by a slavery mentality; we must be courageous enough to contest with and confront our Cultures and Beliefs; we must consciously make the change first in our minds and then our actions. Africa must realize that the only thing limiting her is herself. A trip to South Africa will convince you that it is not the land that is cursed but the people in the land have just refused to allow their minds conceive positivity enough to drive developmental change. You and I know that South Africa is the way it is now because the whites were in charge for so long. What's the difference between the white man and the black man? Is it the skin pigmentation? No. Is it the size of the brains? No. What then is it?

The answer is simple, its all in the MIND.

Think about this and answer truthfully to your self; what is the first thing that comes to your mind whenever you see a Caucasian(Oyinbo hehehe)?

No one is Limiting Africa but Africans.

AFRICA ARISE

WANDERING THOUGHTS

It’s not like I woke up this morning knowing that I was going to start a new blog but I sat here this morning in deep thought and you know that feeling when you just take a stroll in your estate (for those of you that live in a gated estate) and you just keep walking with no clear destination in mind, just seeking to clear your head and enjoy the cool fresh air consciously ignoring the cool cars driving by (there are sha some very cool cars in Naija) Obinna focus…. Back to my trail of thoughts, and all of a sudden you look up and realize that you have strayed very far away from home and can’t explain how you got to where you found yourself nor can you explain exactly what it was you were actually thinking about and you begin to retrace your steps and find your way home.

I sat there on my desk and this was exactly how I was feeling this morning and I decided to do what I do best, capture the moment on paper (or in this case on my laptop) lol.

Retracing my steps in my mind had a semblance of walking through a tunnel, knowing what lies at the end of the tunnel but the echo and noise in the tunnel hampering progress. A fear that something will creep out of nowhere and jump at me or devour me kept lurking around somewhere at the back of my mind “fear of the unknown”. Funny thing is, the human mind is so complex it would amaze you how many unnecessary thoughts that jump in when you are trying to do some serious thinking. Some of them scary, some funny, some …… *winks* bottom line is, they are mostly unnecessary at the moment. How would you explain thinking about what to have for dinner by 11am in the middle of a report that is way over due.

Anyways, as I was trying to sort out and compartmentalize my thoughts, I heard a whisper; “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” I pause at this point and begin to reflect on that word.

I’m actually expected to personally bring into captivity every thought that comes into my mind, hmmm! I’m the one that is in charge of everything and what I permit is what stays on my mind but anything I don’t give room for leaves wow!

So all that noise and fear were just distractions to stop me from thinking the right productive thoughts. Little wonder I knew where I wanted to go to but didn’t seem to be getting there as at when due, I was wasting little seemingly insignificant amounts of time per time dwelling on things that did not matter.

How many times have you started developing an idea in your mind and never got around completing the thought process?

How many times has a brilliant idea come to you while you were maybe driving or in transit and you couldn’t capture the idea on paper and later while trying to re-collect the thought, you were unable to do so?

How many times have you forgotten your lines mid sentence because something else came into your mind while you were talking?

If you have at any point found yourself in any of the scenarios mentioned above, not to worry it’s not old age lol, I’ll be sharing some tips on how to capture your thoughts and think strategically on my next post.

STAY PRODUCTIVE