January: 5 Of My Favorite Things This Month!

I thought it will be nice to share a few of my favorites for the month of January. Some of them are new and some of them have been around for a while now. As you read on, I hope you love them and share some of your favorites too.

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What Did 2018 Teach You? 12 Awesome People Share Their Life Lessons

It's been such a great year for us at the blog and we really want to take this opportunity to thank all of you, our readers, our partners, supporters, mentors, and community at large for being here with us.

We are really grateful for you and we thought it wise to end the year by bringing together some of the lessons our readers and friends learned during the year to inspire others on their journey.

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7 Habits You Shouldn't Overlook This Year

When I was doing a review on some of the things I needed to improve and work on this year, I came up with a list of 7 things I should be doing regularly and I felt I should share them on the blog with you guys.

And since I'm all about personal development, growing daily, and becoming better in specific areas of my life, I feel these habits shouldn't be overlooked but rather embraced for the good and benefit of one's general wellbeing.

There are people depending on your transformation.

Habits are like daily routines, something we do often or repeatedly for a long period of time to achieve a desired result and sometimes we do them subconsciously.

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My Blog Goals For 2018, Award Nomination, and Popular Posts In 2017

I am really excited to share 5 of my major blog goals this year with you all. I wouldn't normally do this but I felt y'all have been there, cheering me on, and supporting the blog all the way and it wouldn't be a bad idea to let y'all know what we are up to so you know how truly committed and passionate we are about inspiring you to live a well meaningful and productive life.

The year 2017 was a year of intentional growth for us on the blog and we are glad that y'all made it possible. We had readers from over 30 nations and we were also honored with 3 awesome awards. Yayyyy!

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September || Grow And Become

Happy New Month Friends😊

The past few months has been a period of intensive growth for me. One of which, I have never experienced before in my life. More than before, I have been led in and out of my comfort zone than I ever imagined and though it's not been fun but it's been all fulfilling and terrific.

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Staying Positive: The Do's And Dont's!

It's a new week friends and I'm so excited about it! Are you? Well, I hope you are! I often get messages about how much my posts are deeply felt and loved, especially how inspired you all are by my positive energy towards life and what I do. And I must say, it's really been God keeping me positively inspired through this Journey and I'm glad you are inspired by my work. Nevertheless, I need to say a lot has been going on with me in this Journey and while I'm learning to embrace it, I'm also developing myself generally and majorly in aspects of my gifts and calling in life. I really do find it a delight to inspire you and others who are in somewhat way going through that phase as well. So I will say, thank you to every one of you for sticking around and letting me inspire you by all of these. I certainly will do more!

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Faith Over Fear: Do You Really Believe?

Recently, I have been going through certain situations that seemed to challenge my faith in God right before my very face. But I'm so thankful that life is full of choices, and choosing faith over fear is one choice we believers must learn to embrace daily. It's either you are walking in faith or walking in fear, you can't be doing the two at once.

Faith in God brings obvious benefits. It switches the light on. Unbelief releases the acid of cynicism. - Reinhard Bonnke

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22 Random Facts About Me

Hello friends, we have come a long way and since the blog is expanding with over 16 countries involved and quite a number of subscribers, I thought what better time to get to know a little more about me than now. So here are 22 random facts about me, you'd be surprised what you will find out.

1. I am a twenty something year old lady, I'm quite average in height 😀 and I'm the only child of my parents❤

2. I am an inspirational walking diary🌱, purpose driven, extremely organized, 9 - 5 chick for now, creative Media entrepreneur, passionate dream achiever, results oriented👒 

3. I am completely in love with Jesus, really obsessed about his personality and everything💜

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NYSC Diaries: 7 Things To Do Before Your POP

I know you are almost rounding up the National Youth Service to your beloved country and you are probably joyful or happy, panicking or worried. It’s nearly your passing out parade (POP) day and of course there would be no more NYSC monthly allowance, but could it be that you are actually worried because you don't want to go back home doing nothing? By now, you were supposed to be that career, entrepreneur, or business super person you have always envisioned yourself to be, but things got a little side-tracked, we understand! That’s why we are here digging out 7 interesting things you can do at least two months before your POP.

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Life || As It Can Be

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

Countless times in my life I have heard the phrase "life is a journey" and I keep telling myself yes it is, but little did I know that I didn't really understand what it meant. These past days of my life have really shown me that life is indeed a journey and not just that alone but that it's also in stages, and we all must go through every part of it. If you try to skip some part, you will surely jam with it somewhere, someday.

The stages of life cannot be avoided. -Naomi Destiny

So far so good, I have been going through a process of growth and transformation in my life and I have come to realize that this life is no big deal as many people term it to be. Some people carry this world on top their head like if I am not rich like Bill Gates, Dangote, and Mark Zuckerberg, "I wee kill myself". Please ehn...life is not a do or die affair. You don't have to compete with anyone or own a private jet before you know you are making an impact, and if you think you are too small to make an impact, try sleeping with a mosquito in your net.





It hurts me to see youths of our time doing all sorts of things just to be heard or seen (the struggle is real mehn!), I mean some don't even have sense of direction. Ahhh...it is really true that "if you don't know where you are going in life, any road will take you there. I know it's very necessary to work hard in order to achieve all that you want in life, but it is also important to know that some things in life just takes time (you can't just force it).

Everything in life takes process, you won't see a farmer plant a seed and uproot it the next day because it's not growing, he will have to wait for it to grow. But the most beautiful thing about God is, we are never alone through it all; we can choose to get lost in thoughts, wishes, and fantasies or we can choose to wake up and face the reality of life 101 because whether you like it or not, those seasons will come and what do you do?

 
You got to push yourself beyond your limits

You got to love the process and how long it will take you to see the results

You got to work it out

You got to have a vision for your life (don't just let life happen to you)

You got to build the right kinds of relationship and have great mentors

You got to get lost in books that will teach and lift you higher

You got to love what it will cost you and fight the good fight

You got to stick with God through thick and thin

You got to pray (no one makes it through without prayer)

You got to rejoice always and laugh it out

You got to love everyone and love yourself for who you are

You got to know that living your own life will take a lot of courage

You go to thrive in what God is doing in your life today

You got to love it all because you are becoming

Sometimes it's not even just about you, it's about God working through you to get to others. Jeremiah 29:11 says it all, he has a plan for you and if he brought you to it, he will keep and see you through it.

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends outs its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, it's leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:6-8

Many of us reading this right now just need to be placed in a position where we can just trust God through our processes. Believe me, life can be really daunting sometimes but if we learn to put our confidence in God knowing fully well that this is just another season of our life that must surely come to pass.

Truth is, it's not going to last forever but while we wait, we must wait well, we must learn to trust the process, and patiently wait until our change comes. Embrace the uncertainty and enjoy the beauty of what is to come for you.

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My NYSC Camp Experience | Kano State

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is an organization established in May 22nd, 1973 by the Nigerian government to involve the country's graduates in the development of the country. All citizens of Nigeria who has gone through any higher institution within and outside the country must participate in the mandatory one year service or else you will be ineligible for employment.

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July Notes - Counting My Blessings!

Hello blog friends! I have missed you all! Many thanks for always keeping up with the blog, so many surprises coming up soon, make sure you all subscribe.

By the way I've learned quite a lot in the past month and I want to share it with you guys. I hope you pick up something from it (at least one thing).

• Grateful for my life so far right now because when I looked back and seeing all that God did for me in the month of July, I was deeply moved to tears. Got a wonderful contract job this month with an NGO and it's been so amazing.

• Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of blessing. At a point in July I was actually rejected from something not too good that I thought was good for me but later on, I was redirected towards something much more better than what I wanted initially which made me realize the saying 

  Every disappointment is a blessing.

• Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. You probably must have heard this countless times before now and I'm here to resound it firm into your head, if you want something go for it. Don't let people push you around anyhow, push yourself and go for what you really want. Know that you're in control of your own decisions, your own fate, you have the power to feel however you want. You decide to be OK with your decisions and others are far from being responsible for that.

• When you can't find the sunshine, be the sunshine. There are days and there are some days (you should know what I mean), days that can be perfectly okay and days that you feel not perfectly okay. In such situations despite how hard it is, I try to create my own sunshine cos I am responsible for what I let get into my space. DON'T LET DEPRESSION IN!

• Do everything with a good heart and expect nothing in return and you will never be disappointed. Believe me I once had to forgive a person who wasn't even sorry and I believe that's so much strength. You don't have to hold any grudges or wish you had not done the good for that ungrateful person, you can't even regret what you've done for others because at some point you wanted to do it. Sitting around crying about it and putting up a frown like it's someone else's fault is childish. All you can do is learn and move on, treat everybody with kindness whether they deserved it or not.

• Train your mind to see the good in every situation. When you can't control what is happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what's happening (it can be hard sometimes though) but that's where the power is!

• Collect beautiful moments. Sometimes when I feel like God has not done enough for me, I begin to collect all the beautiful moments I have had and I realize how blessed I am. You were made to do so many great things, believe in yourself and continue to count your blessings. 

Trade your expectations for appreciations and the world changes instantly. - Tony Robbins. 

• The right relationships will help you fulfill your destiny. Who you journey with matters a lot because as relationships come in many forms, it also serve many purposes, from personal to business to mentorship to friendship, the right ones will help you fulfill your destiny.
  
  

Did you pick any lesson? Let me know below! -XOXO

 

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Jesus Found Me || My Love Story

Once upon a time in my life, I thought there was nothing called perfect love although I wanted it so badly because growing up I had seen a lot of things gone wrong and I really had fears. I had always wanted to fill that void in my heart, something beyond the extra ordinary…something that will last me for a life time.

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The Bread Seller Story Made Me Believe In The Ordinary Nigerian

It's no longer news that two weeks ago, a 27 year old woman by the name Olajumoke Orisaguna who happened to be a bread seller in the streets of Lagos Nigeria turned into a quick star and top model for Few Model Management after photobombing TY Bello photo shoot for Tinie Tempah.  I.G: @tybello @tiniegram @olajumoke__o @fewmodels. Read full story via this link: TY Bello Featured on CNN

Olajumoke who thereafter got on the cover of This Day Style and later was interviewed by CNN TY Bello's Interview with CNN ,and later signed an ambassadorial or campaign deal for PayPorte two days ago Naij.com ,and now a motivational speaker for The Play Forum(Political Leadership Among Youths) which is coming up on the 20th of February at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. She is definitely on her pathway to success as she receives different support to move forward. It is really amazing!

Her story has inspired so many people around the world even in India and it has really brought so much hope and believe to me especially and several others that 'DREAMS DO COME TRUE' regardless of who you are. ''Everyone connected with the story because everybody has dreams,'' argues Bello. ''This is a very tough time in my country...Everyone is looking for that magical break...I think this is definitely divine because the way people have connected with it is just  phenomenal. It is a phenomenal story.''

The Nigerian elites in general, seem to harbor disdain and contempt for the ordinary Nigerian. They are looked down upon, neglected, and left to just walk through life managing and patching things up in order to navigate as best as they can until fate happens. Olajumoke's story got me thinking that although there is a disconnect between the ordinary people and the elites in Nigeria, there is still a little bit of hope for the hopeless. And if people can walk through the doorway of success and not shut the door right behind them but open it up for an opportunity to reach out to others, then life will be made better for the common man.

I remember asking myself a rhetorical question sometimes ago, how can I make it an extra ordinary and contemporary world? Do I wait for good things to happen or do I go out and make it happen? I really don't believe in luck and wouldn't call Olajumoke lucky but let me put it that it was her time to shine and when it is your time, nobody can stop you. This bread seller went out to make things happen for herself despite the fact that she is a mother of two children, she knew she had to survive and I really admire that strong part of her.

The ordinary Nigerian fetches water from a well or borehole for domestic use because pipe borne water is a mirage to them. The ordinary Nigerian may not even be able to afford quality education or basic health services. The ordinary Nigerian is a hustler and struggles hard to provide for themselves and their family. The ordinary Nigerian is strong, bold and courageous despite the fears surrounding them. The ordinary Nigerian is greatly inspiring and if Olajumoke could make it, we can all make it. I believe in us!

Thanks for reading!

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My College Testimony - How I Made It Through College Days!

Oh My God!!! I can't believe I made it! I'm so excited right now because BSc is finally over. It’s been four wonderful and productive years of learning, cramming, growth, adventure, the worst and best forms of experiences put together. I couldn’t have done it all by myself, God literally stood beside me. He has brought me a mighty long way and I'm so grateful to him.

As my friends would say, 'It didn't easy' and I must confess of a true it wasn't all easy. Nobody even said it will be easy. I have had to come face to face with difficulties and challenges (plenty of scars) these four years and I even failed at a point but at the end, all these things are what makes us. It takes such a huge effort to make it this far, especially through thick and thin but most importantly; I believe it takes grace, direction, courage, perseverance, consistency, hard work, diligence, and the never giving up attitude to survive if you really want to make it in college.

On some days, I wished I could fit a memory card into my brain for exams but I had to stop wishing and start doing. You will be stressed and tired, you will be frustrated, you will sacrifice sleeps and you may even want to give up, but in as much as you want to, sometimes you just gotta wing it. I told God this is just a big deal for me, will I ever make it to the end? And He said to me; "Naomi, no matter how long you think your journey is, one day you'll get to the finish line" and I finally did get there. 

Some encouraged me, while some laughed at me when they saw me struggling but guess what? It was the stones that bruised my feet that made me strong. It was the Gethsemane's in my life, those hard battles and testing times when I felt I was almost crushed and the waters almost overflowed that fashioned the qualities of courage and trust deep inside me. I found grace in my darkest hour and I just want you to encourage everyone still in college not to give up. No matter what you are pursuing in life, work hard at it and you will be rewarded.

Thanks to everyone who made this journey worth it for me; my parents, my family, my friends (Debby, Beebee, Grace, Eniola, Maimuna, Benita, J.P, e.t.c) and all my loved ones. Thank you all so much! It's been four wonderful years and I'm exceedingly grateful for everything!

Whoop whoop whoop....My joy knows no bound and I am really proud to say I finished strong. There is so much that awaits me out there and even though it seems a little bit scary, I'm ready to go and conquer. 

So, to the #classof2015 #ABUZaria #finalists, I must say a very big congratulations to you all. Oh yeah...we made it!! Graduated to the glory of God🎓🎓🎓

Photo credits: Google & Instagram

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10 Cool Songs To Help You Start Your Day Right and Happy

Getting ready for work? Bathing in the shower, thinking about the test you have in an hour? or in need of some cool songs to start your day with, then this is for you:

1. Open happiness by Patrick Stump fueled by Roman - This song communicates happiness for a brand new day.

2. Hakuna Matata from Disney movie- The Lion King

This song says don't worry for the rest of your day.

3. I feel good by James Brown - This song always put a smile on my face because it makes me feel good.

4. Walking on sunshine by Katrina & the Waves - This song clearly screams happiness.

5. Over the rainbow by Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole - A beautiful and peaceful song, it will keep you calm.

6. The presence of the Lord is here by Bryon Cage - For all the Christians, this song helps you remember that God is always with you.

7. Best day of my life by American Authors - This song will basically lift your spirit.

8. Feeling good by Nina Simone or Micheal Buby - It's a good song to feel good when you wake up each day.

9. Day light by Matt & Kim - This dynamic duo is one of the high-spirited songs ever.

10. Happy by Pharell Williams - This song got everything you need to keep you  in a very happy mood.

With all being said, stay strong, beautiful and blessed.

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Through The Eyes Of An Ordinary Nigerian

‎This photo series is an attempt by Zamani Istifanus, the 19 year old photographer come cinematographer behind the Xamani Studios; a photography and cinematography studio based in Abuja.

The photo series is the young talent's attempt to capture the struggles of an ordinary Nigerian, far away from the glitz and glamour that has most recently clouded our minds. 

This is an awakening, to the plight and existence of Nigerians who through toil day and night, but however, either live on less than 2 dollars a day or perhaps never get to eat in some days.

Connect with him: @xamanistudios on twitter

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