IN 2015 YOU SHOULD...

 


1.    KEEP GOD FIRST
Cliche? Maybe, but you can't neglect this. When you think about all the amazing things we can achieve and accumulate here on earth, but notice at the end of the day we leave them all here and go with none of them. So this world is just an opening act. So, God should be at the forefront of everything we dabble into. Reading the bible, praying, worshiping him is very important. With God's approval we can stand before any man/circumstance.

2.   NOT BE SCARED TO THINK
Notice I didn't say 'worry'. I mean think! Task your brain! Most times we are scared to think to certain places in our minds, scared to question ourselves, scared to admit our faults. Sometimes we are scared to think about our future, scared to generate and develop ideas we have. We have so much capacity to create amazing ideas in our brains that can be fruitful. So this coming year, fight the barrier of not thinking, of not tasking our brains.

3.  PLAN AHEAD
Jot down. We cannot predict the future, but we can take steps towards it. Most times we tend to head-plan and not write down bi-monthly/yearly goals we hope to achieve. It goes a long way. Strategize, draw business/growth plans, develop ideas. There is no limit to jotting down, just use it as an expression and pour out all your thoughts-in writing. Soon all the dots will connect.

4.   DO IT
Fear is a bitch. It fights us and always wants to defeat us. Whenever you have an idea, fear tells you stuff like "You're just one of many" or "you don't have capital or connections" or "theres no time", or procrastination kicks in and puts the final nail in the coffin. If you have an idea, after much research and strategizing, make steps, start the race, build the foundation and move towards actualizing them. We can't keep lying to ourselves that we aren't good enough.


5.   NOT DO ANYTHING FOR FREE
Simply put. Nothing good comes easy. Sometimes people tend to always seek services for free at a cost of friendship or familiarity. This new year, don't do anything for free. Time and effort is money and it's high time we realize that. Also you also should pay people for services they render no matter how small. Simple principles of business.



6.   NETWORK !!
Business is definitely built on relationships. Everywhere you go, network, sell yourself{market yourself}, Simple and short. Networking never goes wrong.



7.  DROP THEM, IF NEED BE.
As we grow older, we may grow past some of our friends/relationships and that's okay. You may not be into the things those friends do, and there's just no correlation. Friendship should be built on mutualism. Gaining from each other, learning, growing off each other. Your friends have to be in line with your goals. If not, drop them off. Life is too short to carry excessive weight. Always try to have intellectual conversations that you can feed off.



8.  RESEARCH
We plainly hate doing this. But it very important. Going into a business? Do lots and lots of market research. Basically, ask questions from people who run similar businesses or have past experiences, use 'GOOGLE' !! It's so simple yet so difficult. EVERYTHING you need is on there. Proper research helps cover all the loopholes there is going into any business/field.



9.  PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN
Can we just put it down? Try and leverage the beneficial activities you do and match it up against the hours you use your phone doing basically "nothing''. When you do use your phone try researching on your interests, look for opportunities. Its seems simple but its very hard. Doing other leisure stuff like chatting, using Instagram, Tumblr and all are very enticing but at the same time highly time consuming and as we know TIME is money.





10. LIVE A LITTLE
Why not? Don't be too hard on yourself. Loosen up, warm up to others, don't be stuck up, being stuck up isn't the new cool. Dance! a lot.. Laugh a whole lot too, its free at least. Its okay to have free-spirited conversations too, you can't have intellectual conversations all the time, ease up sometimes. Also create lots of family time, they are the most important people in our lives.

THE EMEZI SISTERS.

Running through the INTERNET, I found these "sisters' of mine, who are from my state, ABIA STATE, IN NIGERIA. AKWAEKE EMEZI AND YAGAZIE EMEZI. Both are extremely artsy beings. I love the aura of nature and simplicity they ooze. It gives me "INDIE VIBES'' i'm inspired. They grew up in Umuahia and Aba in Abia State, before later moving to the United States of America.

• AKWAEKWE EMEZI. 

WRITER, FILMAKER AND PHOTOGRAPHER.
Her bio on her website reads- Akwaeke Emezi is an Igbo and Tamil writer and filmmaker based in liminal spaces. She was born in Umuahia and raised in Aba, Nigeria. Her work is often set in a landscape of disquietude, excavating the surface to reveal forces of psychosexual dislocation and violence. Brutal and surreal, it pushes past comfortable morality to honestly explore the margins of humanity. 
Here are some of her amazing photos.



 
   Aze has some short films, which are amazing like UDUDEAGU, find the videos here - AKWAEKES VIDEOS
Follow her on instagram @azemezi 
Website- azemezi.com

• YAGAZIE EMEZI

VISUAL CURATOR, CARTOONIST, VIDEO BLOGGER.

Her bio reads- Yagazie Ledi Francisca Emezi was born and raised in Aba, Nigeria and moved to the United States in 2005 where her love and yearning for home led to an intensified passion for Africa and the arts. She is also a visual artist and cartoonist, as well as a video blogger whose YouTube channel is a popular digital platform that discusses social issues, hilarious snippets of personal life, and a plethora of topics rarely addressed openly in African communities, such as eating disorders and sexuality. She is currently relocating back to the continent. visit http://www.yagazieemezi.com for more.

WATCH ONE OF HER VIDEOS BELOW

• BE INSPIRED.

LET GO, AND LET GOD

 I have been lacking Inspiration, motivation, and confidence, and been worried and made decisions in a haste, but I don't need to worry if my trust is in God, its the safest, most assured place to be. We go through many challenges, we try and build yet things crumble, and racing thoughts back and forth, we "fight our demons", of late honestly, thats what I have been doing, fighting them from every angle, because I need to grow, without growth, there's no life. Our future should be built upon God, whom is our firm foundation. 

1 CORINTHIANS 3 V 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 CORINTHIANS 3 V 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”

When you let go

You won’t worry or have fear

You will know that God is in complete and total control

You won’t ask others what they think about your life

Your focus will be on God

He will be your guidance system

In Him, you will place all of your cares and concerns

You won’t stay awake at night wondering about your life

You will be confident in the Lord’s will and way

Money will lose the ability to control you

People will be seen as children of God and not as God

Loneliness will reveal that God is with you always

You won’t let your emotions overpower you

Fear will simply be  a four-letter word

Confidence will flow through your veins

Joy will be at your beck and call

Mountains will become molehills

God’s way will be the easy and natural way

Satan won’t stand a chance with you

For you will know in your heart that God has you

Second-guessing will be a thing of the past

You will be wrapped up in your calling

Majoring in major things for the Lord

When you let go.

A poem by Jeremy Markeith Thompson 2013

Trust God. Life Happens.

IN LOVING MEMORY, SAM BERNS - MY PHILOSOPHY FOR A HAPPY LIFE (TedX Talks)

• VIDEO> SAM BERNS , TED X TALKS- My philosophy for a happy Life.

 I did not plan to do a post today, but I had to after seeing this video(video above) of the late,  SAM BERNS.  Here is a link to the video too..>  SAM BERNS- MY PHILOSOPHY FOR A HAPPY LIFE.

  Sam Berns was Junior at Foxboro High School  in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where he has achieved highest honors and as a percussion section leader in the high school marching band. He recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. Sam was diagnosed with Progeria, a rare, rapid aging disease, at the age of 2. He is featured in the documentary Life According to Sam, which  premiered on HBO on October 21, 2013.
  Sam was talking about looking past the negativity and acknowledging what we have and what is important. He prioritized thinking positively, looking forward to exciting events and not hammering of the fact he had a deadly, rare disease.  I have always believed in this message, nothing is more paramount than being happy. "We see each other for who we are on the inside". Sam said this concerning him and his friends this is so important. Sam died on the 10th of January, May his Soul rest in peace. It hurts to see that all the dreams he had, and mentioned in this video, and all the brevity and strength he showed, he couldn't achieve them, but he was happy till the end. And that's life, its unpredictable and it's the things that last, the moments we cherish we should strive for. This video is so inspiring and emotional, SAM was a GREAT SOUL. Its a must watch...

• Remembering Sam Berns (VIDEO BELOW)

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PETITION = BLACK HISTORY HEROES BY ISIS OHUI.

 

I got this mail from +Isis T  concerning signing a petition concerning "Black history" and including a black history course in the United States. I signed the petition, and I believe in it, because it concerns me too. I want everyone to sign this petition too, IF you believe in Equality ! 
READ HER STATEMENT BELOW.. AND SIGN TOO...

Arne Duncan: Include a Black History course in high schools around the United States! By Isis Ohui Houston, TX Every year, America "recognizes" African-Americans during the month of February and calls it "Black History Month". Typically, we learn about Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcom X, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson etc. But what about the other Black heroes who made America what it is today? I am currently a junior in high school taking AP U.S. History. During the month of February, only three Blacks were mentioned in my classroom: Madam C.J. Walker, George Washington Carver, and Garrett Morgan. Everyday for only 28 days, a "Black history fact" was said on the morning announcements. That's just the bare minimum we can do to increase people's knowledge on Blacks.  If you open a high school AP U.S. History textbook today, you will only see references to Martin Luther King, George Washington Carver, Madam C.J. Walker, Rosa Parks, and a only a few other great Black influences. That's it. Blacks have done much more than create peanut butter, hair products, and boycott the public bus system. There is more than enough history in the world about Blacks to create a year-long curriculum. -- Over the years, I have always heard the saying "People hate what they don't understand". I strongly believe that having Black History classes in high schools will trim down the racism in our nation because every other race will understand how Blacks have contributed to the success of America. Having Black History classes will surely increase the respect level that other races have for African-Americans. Every student of every race has to learn about U.S. History which in majority only covers the contributions of the white man and how they shaped America up to be great. The Black man did and has done a lot to make America great, too. May we get recognized as well? Sign my petition to make this dream come true! Sign my petition

CLIMAX.

  Today has been extremely awkward to day the least. Really mundane atmosphere, with rain falling in between intervals. My playlist just jumped from Nina Simone to Kanye West, how awkward, polarizing. Basically, I don't even know what direction to head with this post,I don't decide on the topic till I'm about to post, but that vulnerability excites me.The reason though is, I build topics from every experience, any little altercation, discussion, triumph, failure, whatever, I get wind of. I'm constantly writing down, and even yesterday, discussing with a friend at school, I legit stopped in between the conversation and wrote, and she was like "What was that?", I brushed it off. Then, my borderline curiosity. I basically seek to poke a microscope into people's lives, even strangers. Really, I'm always mirroring what growing up would have been like, how living situations differ, and various complexities of life, Its exciting.
   "Mama T (changed the name for privacy reasons), enter the car now !", "Yes sir", she answered. Mama T, a married woman, was being ordered to their vehicle,by her husband, as they were probably heading for a wedding. Watching the little scene unfold from my balcony, I watched her take the back seat of the Ford car. I wondered if the front seat was occupied, it wasn't, and the man she was in company of was her husband. Ever since her husband returned, (he regularly leaves home for long periods of time), she had temporarily quit her small scale business. She stayed in-doors all day, her gait more calculated, her responses, tamed, and she basically did house chores throughout. I asked my sister "What Century are we please ?", "that a woman literally worships her husband", and my sister said, "She is probably an illiterate". I was disgusted by it all. He breathed fear into her, it felt and looked like tyranny. It harmonizes with the book I'm reading "Everything Good will Come" by Sefi Atta, where the female lead, Enitan, is an extreme feminist, and she refuses to be drawn into the confinements of an African marriage. I believe in fair-play in marriage, you cannot crush your partners dreams or visions and just rise above the other, you support,pull each other up, its a team-game. Above all, I believe  marriage is built around mutual, loving respect for each other, not military-like relationships, where the husband looks untouchable, For Heavens sake, how will he communicate with his children ? Bringing me to the next issue....
     Going through my instagram feed, I saw a screen-shot of a boy's conversation with his dad, they were chatting each other up like buddies, without the lack of respect for the father. I loved that, I wanted that. In most parts, we undermine the importance of a FATHER-SON relationship. Normally, the father provides obligatory needs, school fees, a roof over your head, expenses, and all. But in most cases, they don't get to see their dad at all, some, once in a year, or month, or week. And honestly that is not what matters. The legacy a father leaves with his children is not what you gave, materially, its what you instilled within. There is a bond, a friendship, that not-so often exists, that should be there. And if you look at it, before you know it, you are out of your fathers house, thrown into independence, and most people never knew their father's before leaving/before their dads passed. I honestly don't know why we neglect the simple things in life, that matter the most and move onto complex, irrelevant ones. I envy people that have an unbreakable bond/friendship with their dads. It one of my aims this year honestly. I don't wanna lose that. And by the way, it's a two-way thing, it involves both parties trying to make a functioning, lasting relationship, not just being tagged"Father" OR" Son, but owning the tag. And the same goes for all other family relationships, its really vital to have that, its the backbone of Life.
     I saw a quote by A. Lorde somewhere, and it goes, 

If I didn't define myself for myself, I will be crushed into other people's fantasies for me, and I would be eaten alive.

This quote has been becoming a reality as the days have gone by. Normally, I hate when people try to make you vulnerable or unnecessarily apologetic, or fix you in tight corners because of probably a mis-conception of your personality. But, it doesn't matter, I've learnt not to explain,or back up my actions and make them seem favorable, but just act, and not tweak my personality to suit what the "norm" might be. It may cost anything, but again it does not matter. Personally, I believe in full- blown out independence. I set myself up in a way that, If I lose this opportunity today, If I lose this partnership/friendship or whatever, I can still stand by myself, because I have things going on, I have people that I love and things that make me really happy. Don't get me wrong you need people, you need friends, you cant do it all alone, but just in circumstances,its good to have that safety card and not be over-reliant on people. And no matter what you go into, make sure you never lose your identity, I strive for this! It like a house built on a solid rock , with great storms trying to pull it down, but it remains standing tall ! If, I find out a situation is engulfing me, if a situation reaches a CLIMAX, I cut it off, because I have other seeds to grow, and they will grow tall, definately, but not grow tall enough to oppose me or stand in my way, and most especially trust God, he never, ever fails. Everyone deserves a shot at happiness. That's the message. Have A Great Day !

BRAZIL = THE HOME OF JOY.. + PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK.

                                      

SAMBA ! Brazil is a colorful, developing and intriguing country with basically the most ecstatic people on earth. Eventful, adventurous, and intricate, there was definately no "Master plan" involved in putting together this country, it all came together as ART. 
Basically, what inspired this post was finding out about Brazilian roots here in Nigeria, Africa. I found out that some brazilian descent occur here,appearing after they were freed from slavery in Brazil, many decades ago, prevalently in the Yoruba tribe and vice-versa, that is, there are little yoruba-speaking sects in Brazil. 
  The simplicity, enthusiasm, joy, radiating from their spirits, even through pictures, is captivating. Obviously, its not filled with thousands of infrastructural structures and dynamics, but the contentment and light this country radiates is massive. 

                                               

                                         
                                              
                                  
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           


    Meanwhile, while putting together these outstanding pictures, I decided to create a music playlist,kind of, that probably fits the mood, or not, but, this is my music playlist of the week below...

More- 

                                                    PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK....

X..   SOLANGE-  LOSING YOU- This song is an effortless beauty. The video was shot in South Africa by one of my fav directors Melina Matsoukas, on a limited budget, and the result was Epic ! Listen Below...

X..BLOOD ORANGE- CHAMAKAY - Dev Hynes is a musical genius. I love the groove of this song, easy going. Listen Below..

X..BEATLES - LET IT BE-- I had never really gotten into Beatles until now. I struggled to pick this over "Hey Jude".Both are amazing. Listen Below...

  

X..CHRIS BROWN FT NAS- MIRAGE-- Chris Brown does make good music. And Nas is just something else. Smooth RnB feel, with pop influences..JAM !! Listen Below..

X..TEMI DOLLFACE- PATA PATA--Only Nigerian song on my playlist, deservedly so. I haven't heard a better one in months. I love her artistry. Listen Below--

X. MICHAEL BOLTON- WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN--Soul at it's peak, Emotion at it's peak, Michael Bolton !!! Expresses love to its peak ! And that voice carries so much emotion, and strength. Listen Below..

X...MAYER FT KATY PERRY- WHO YOU LOVE- Ultimate Love Song. John Mayer is a country king. Listen Below..

X..COLDLAY- YELLOW--One of the most beautiful songs ever, Yellow makes you want to be at a festival/stadium concert  and just sing your heart out, kinda.. Listen Below..

X... BEYONCE- NO ANGEL-- Masterpiece!  I was excited when I heard she worked with Caroline Polachek, from the group Chairlift,on this track, I felt Chairlift had been underground for way too long, and BOOM ! Listen Below...

J.COLE- LOST ONES- Exquisite story-telling. I didn't used to listen to J.cole that much, but of recent, I listen to his music a lot! I love how he takes different sides and just expresses himself. Listen Below..

THE ONLY WAY, IS UP !

    Those long walks into the inner temples of our thoughts are frequent, the loss of present consciousness and immersion into fickle bits of life. Those ramblings and rhetorical questions of regrets and remorse, self reproach, those judgmental thoughts, they all happen. Sometimes,  peeping into the innocence of toddlers, I want to possess that aura again, but then again how sure am I that I wont make the same mistakes or even worse ? There is a word I scrapped out of my head, and that word is "REGRET". Regret is a feeling you can basically do nothing about, you cannot erase the events of yesterday, but we can, only if we decide to, learn from past mistakes. If you were climbing a mountain, and you grip wasn't tight enough, and you had almost gotten to the very peak, they you tumbled all the way down... Its your choice to decide if you sit there and rue your chances or you dust yourself up, hold on tighter and get to the very top. That seems easy, but it's not, If we relate it to our personal experiences most times, we curse our luck and never try again. I read a book centered on the Biafran war in Nigeria, and it inspired my post today. There was a moment when a character said "We made it, we survived this" and it made me realize that right at the climax of torture, a glimmer of hope springs up. You were in pain for that long, to get relief at the end of the day,we lose to win, fall to rise, bruise to heal,another day. The Only way is up! Failure can be a success, IF we can learn from it. I decided to use photography to pass the message.

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                                                                                                             FIN.

                                There is a light at the end of the tunnel.