Monday Motivation from Michelle Obama

Surround yourself with good people that won't weigh you down.

Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down. And trust your instincts … good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don’t hurt. They’re not painful. That’s not just with somebody you want to marry, but it’s with the friends that you choose. It’s with the people you surround yourselves with. —Michelle Obama

Pic source: people.com

Four Necessities to having a better relationship

These are four necessary factors you need to make your relationship better.

As humans, we are social beings. We  must interact with one another to attain certain goals on a daily basis. So that even when one tries to isolate oneself from others, and limit communication to none, it's a task bound to be immensely difficult to achieve.

We must come in contact with other people, whether in  the office, school, religious or social  gatherings,  or even the market place
We interact with people, and most times, form some kind of relationship with them. 

And in other to live or work well with these people we have formed relationships with, here are four necessities I have garnered :

1. Communication 

This is the first and most important thing you need to have a better relationship with others.  Relationships without proper communication are often filled with too much unstated emotions and feelings.
And the fact that everyone has opinions and feelings about things, stamps the need of adequate communication and expression of thoughts. Keeping mute most times automatically means that you agree with whatever is going on around you as people don't work around with mind reading xrays on their heads.  So if you feel a certain way about something or someone's actions, please try speak up.
And always remember to speak with wisdom and make sure your words when commucating, are not hurtful, rude or offensive.

2. Understanding 
The second necessity, is to understand others. Whether it's your child, spouse or colleague  at work, if you want to have a better relationship with them, you must first try to understand where they are coming from (their point of view).
Put yourself in their shoes before you decide to challenge  or judge their decisions or actions as it will go a long way, to ensuring a longer lasting healthy relationship.

Most people, fail to do this and instead, hurriedly react to what is in front of them without knowing the reasons behind such actions.
So, always make it an obligation to understand other people's views and ideals about life and whatever is in front of them before you jump into the wrong conclusions.
Getting a better insight as to why a person is acting a certain way, will help you in taking the appropriate approach to solving a problem.

3. Respect 
After you have understood a person, please throw in a little bit of respect for them.
Respect, is something that everybody wants.
We all want to feel and know that we are not deemed worthless or useless. We want our voices or actions to matter and stepping on other people's ego, is an automatic way, of having the most unhealthy relationship.

Respect people's personalities, ideals religion, their faith (even though you don't believe) and even when  you want them to see things from your own perspective, respectfully communicate your thoughts to them.

4. Compromise
This is the fourth and last one here.
We all can't always get want we want, when we want it all the time.  You can't always win at the detriment of others all the time. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you just have to let go, to have  peace.

Everybody is different and my way of doing things may not be familiar with you but that doesn't mean we can't work or be together. We just need to know when to compromise.
By opening yourself up to compromise, you learn new things, engage in new ideas and foster better relationships.
Remember also, that compromising, works two ways. Do not compromise on your truth. You might bend or adjust to certain things people do, but never compromise on what makes you YOU.

Thanks for reading.

Serena Williams - Forbes highest paid female Athlete

Pic source:hotflick.net

According to a new list compiled by Forbes, the 34 years old Tennis Star, is the new highest paid female athlete in the world with a salary earning of $8.9m and endorsments of $20m which sums up to $28.9m thereby beating Maria  Sharapova who had been holding that title for eleven years. Maria comes in second with a total of $21.9m. Serena and Maria are the only women on the Forbes 100 list of highest paid athletes, the remaining 98 being men.

This makes Serena  the highest paid athlete in the female category and #40 highest paid Athlete in the world.

Pic source: zombie.com

Visit  Forbes.com  for the full list of highest earning athletes in the world.

Substantial Woman of the week - Hillary Clinton

Who She is

Hillary Clinton is the presidential candidate

pic source:theatlantic.com

of the Democratic Party in the United States in the 2016 Presidential  Election. Also, former First Lady of the U.S, and the State of  Arkansas, Senator, Secretary of State, Lawyer and activist.

Her Life

 She was born on the 26 of October, 1947 to Hugh Ellsworth Rodman and Dorothy Emma Howell in Chicago, Illinois and attended Main East High School, where
she participated in student council and the school newspaper and  graduated amongst the top five percent of her class in 1965.

Also In 1965, Hilary enrolled in Wellesley College where she majored in Political Science.
As a freshman in college, she served as president of the Wellesley Young Republicans and supported the elections of Mayor John Lindsay of New York, and Senator Edward Brooke from Massachusetts, but later on, she  stepped down from her position as her views regarding the American Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam war changed.

In her junior year, she became a supporter of anti war and following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, she organized a two day student strike.
In college, most of her fellow students, often thought that Hillary might become the first female president of the United States.

After college, she enrolled in Yale Law school, where she meet and started dating her classmate Bill Clinton, who she later married on October 11, 1975.
She gave birth to daughter Chelsea in 1980.

She became first lady  of the United States in 1992 till 2000 when Bill was President and led the fight to reform the American health care system.
In 1995, Hilary led the US delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing China and gave a speech that inspired women around the world.
In  the year 2000, she was elected  a US Senator and in 2008, she ran for President but lost in the primaries to then Senator Barack Obama.
She later became the Secretary of State in the first four years of Obama's administration.

Quotes of Hillary Clinton

1. The worst thing that can happen in a democracy - as well as in an individual's life, is to become cynical about the future and lose hope.

2. What we have to do... is to find a way to celebrate our diversity and debate our differences without fracturing our communities.

3. I think the world would be a lot better off if more people were to define themselves in terms of their own standards and values and not what other people said or thought about them.

4. Forgiveness is a way of opening up the doors again and moving forward, whether it's a personal life or a national life.

5. Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.


Life Lessons from Hillary Clinton

1. There is no limit to what a person can achieve if you put your mind to it.

2. It's never too early to start living your dreams.

3. Gender is not a barrier to achieving your goals, all you need do, is to work hard and follow your dreams.

Thanks for reading.

Source:
Wikipedia
Hillary for America

Current female world leaders(Presidents and Prime Ministers)

Presently in world, there are 10 female prime ministers, 10 presidents and 1 Chancellor amongst their male counterparts, in  the 196 countries.
Making a total of 21 female leaders of developed and under developed nations in the world.

Female world leaders have always existed and have shown strength and courage in leading their countries to greater heights. And apart from the great monarchs like the Queens of England, scotland, etc,  who were born into royalty and thrust into leadership positions (although majority now perform only ceremonial duties), quite a number of women have been either appointed or elected by ordinary citizens, as presidents and prime ministers.

Here are six notable Female world leaders we have today:

   Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - President of Liberia
   From Jan 16 2006 - present

     Park Geun-hye - President of South Korea
     From Feb 29 2013 - present

        Angela Merkel - Chancellor of Germany
        From Nov 22 2005- present

Sheikh Hasina Wajed - Prime Minister of Bangladesh
From Jan 6 2009 - present

Portia Simpson Miller- Prime Minister of Jamaica 

From Jan 5 2012 - present 

Catherine Samba-Panda - President of Central African Republic 

From Jan 23 2014 - present 

The other countries with current female presidents and prime ministers are: 

Trinidad and Tobago, Kosovo, Denmark,Slovenia , Cyprus (North), Senagal, Norway, Latvia,Chile, Malta, Lithuania, Poland, Switzerland, Croatia and Brazil(although she isn't functioning now due to ongoing impeachment trial).

Source: rulers.org 

Meet the Military Commander Miss USA 2016

The just concluded Miss USA pageant brought to the limelight a very amazing young woman of 26 years - Deshauna Barber. She won the contest not only with her beauty, but with her brains and love for her country as she is a military commander in the United States Army.

picture source:deshaunabarberfans@instagram


This is what she thinks about being CONFIDENTLY BEAUTIFUL when asked by the judges  of the pageant :

Picture source:missusa@instagram

"To me confidently beautiful means understanding. Its not always about your appearance. It’s not always about who you are around and how they feel you look, where they feel you come from or your economic background. Serving in the military has taught me that being confidently beautiful is about being able to earn respect from people regardless of what you look like. As a woman in the military, people associate beauty with weakness and they learn very quickly that I’m extremely strong, and though I’m small, I’m powerful. Confidently beautiful is being myself and being very happy with who I’ve become."

What young girls should learn from her, is that being pretty is not enough. Women are worth more than a pretty face and a nice body.  Our mind is what is important, if we truly want to change the world for good.

Wise words from Regina Brett

"Don't compare your life to others; you have no idea what their journey is all about."

Why wear Makeup?

Question- Have you ever been asked why you wear makeup as a woman?

Well the other day, I was asked and in order to defend myself from what I honestly  don't know, I began ranting of how I have these gigantic pimples on my face and how the spots and blemishes are too much so, I needed to cover them up and blah blah blah.
I just needed to give a legit reply to the question but  deep down, I knew that those weren't the only reasons, and that I wear make up because I wanted to feel attractive and beautiful as a woman. But in order not to look vain and insecure I gave the obvious answer.

Now that's just my reason. And this question made me think about the reason why women like me wear make up. So, I decided to ask my close female friends and family members.

The first person I asked, was my cousin who I tell you sincerely, has no business putting a single thing on her face,except from maybe white powder. And her reply was that it makes her look 'fine and clean.'Her exact words, no joke.
In my mind, I was looking for the ugly and dirty face that needs beautification and cleansing which unfortunately I couldn't find but I kind of got what she meant though.

The second person I asked, gave a reply close to mine that it was because of the acne on her face she wears make up which ironically according to her, adds more acne to her face.
Well, that is just women wahala for you.

Others gave answers like: it makes them more beautiful and gives them confidence, while for some, it's fun trying on new tricks from YouTube and just playing with brushes and colours.

Well, I concluded, that whatever the reason women were make up, the bottom line is that they do and majority like doing it. Maybe it's an innate desire to look beautiful I can't tell,  but whatever the case may be, I think that  when we put on make up, moderation is key.
We should not have to change our entire face under foundation all in the name of wearing make-up. Too much make up is never beautiful.

NB- If you have more reasons why you think women wear make up, please drop your comments in the little box below.

Thanks for reading.

Happy Women's Day

In celebration of all the mothers, daughters, wives and women in general, I would like to say happy women's day to every female that has worked hard and endeavoured to show the world that we will not be put in a box or limited in achieving what God has destined for us.
To all the women in the world, I urge you to know your value here on earth, know that you are beautiful, wonderful and that you can achieve whatever you want to in  life. Happy women's day to us all.

Substantial woman of the week- Zuriel Oduwole

Zuriel is a 12 year old American girl of Nigerian and Mauritian heritage who has taking up the idea of being an inspiration to young girls around the world. She wants them to dream bigger.
As a film maker, Zuriel has produced documentaries like: A promising Africa, Educating and Healing Africa out of Poverty and others, to help young African girls get education.
At age ten, she became the youngest person to be interviewed by Forbes Magazine and today is known as the most influencial child in Africa.

She has also interviewed  African presidents and prime ministers and other notable figures in the world like Venus and Serena Williams, Aliko Dangote, Jesse Jackson, to mention a few.

Steps to Making A Good First Impression ( Part one)

People often say that the first impression you get of a person usually lasts long in ones mind and is often hard to change. So most of the time, we find ourselves trying to create a very good first impression in order to get an approval or a job.
Here are a few steps to guide you in making a good first impression:

•
Be Positive
A positive attitude will most of the time make everything around you be positive. Positive mind set will keep you in a good mood and thus you end up emitting positive vibe and energy to the one person you are meeting for the first time.
Don't go out condemning yourself and help the person create a wrong impression about you.

Do not be afraid

Fear often makes us anxious and jittery and ends up making us do what we are not suppose to do. Being afraid of what others might think about our look, our manner of approach, even our voice when we speak, will just help us to mess things up. Don't get me wrong, now its good to take these things into consideration, but do not let your mind dwell on them too much and start getting unnecessarily nervous. People would always think what they want irrespective of how much you try to show yourself to be approved. They have their own minds and different opinions will be formed, you just have to carry yourself the way it seems fit, so long as you know that you are doing something right.

Being a true Christian from Michelle Hammond

Grammy Wars
Posted on February 10, 2015 by Michelle McKinney Hammond
Much has been said about Beyonce singing “Precious Lord” at
the Grammys, My take is basic. Ledisi sang the song in the
movie and should have sung it on the Grammys, it has nothing
to do with what Beyonce has sung before or any of that. She
posted an explanation for why she wanted to sing the song but
totally disregarded that she robbed someone else of a moment
that she has already had. The height of Girl Power is unselfish
support of other women, especially if you have already made it
where they are trying to go.
I think Beyonce is extremely talented, gifted, amazingly
beautiful and probably a very sweet person. I think she has
gone through a lot, maintained her sweetness and flawless
image and I am a fan. However I am deepy disappointed that
she does not guard her own gifting more closely or realize who
she really is. She is far above the level of most of the singers
today and yet she compromises her standards in a way that
threatens to erode her legacy in years to come. She can
actually really sing, therefore she does not have to lower
herself to raunchy standards. She giftings put her in line to be
an icon. She should be on the level of a Diana Ross and other
legends, therefore she should retain a class act.
Only those who don’t really have the chops and sing like her
need to resort to questionable lyrics and videos to get noticed,
she is not of that caliber. It ruins her witness as a Christian
and makes others question her commitment to God. God has
standards and those who identify with Him are responsible for
representing Him in a way that does not make us wonder if
you really know Jesus.
I am not impressed with people praying before doing a show,
that means nothing if your life does not align with your
prayers. Jesus said many would say Lord, Lord we cast out
demons in your name and He would say “I never knew you.”
So no I don’t mind if Beyonce sings gospel or secular. I just
want her to know her value and maintain standards that will
solidify her legacy and not make people question if she really
knows God or not. The Word says blessings and cursing cannot
proceed from the same fountain. It is time for those who call
themselves Christians to be more careful. Our lives are the only
Bible some people read and the world knows what knowing
God should look like even if they don’t want to live it
themselves. Saying God knows your heart is old and tired. He
does not compartmentalize our intentions from our actions. As
a Man or Woman thinks in her heart so is she, so there is no
separation. What everyone wants is Gods approval and
anointing on what we do. Don’ t forget the devil will anoint
also, in order to bind, deceive and destroy you. Don’t be lulled
into thinking every success is God’s blessing. Every good thing
is not God. We need to stop worshipping people who can’t help
but disappoint and center all that worship on God who never
disappoints. If we defended the cause of Christ the way we do
stars we adore it would take Christianity to a whole different
level where an impact would be felt on the world!

Substantial Woman of the week - Oprah Winfrey

Who she is

Oprah is a media mogul, talk show host,actress, producer and philanthropist. Best known for her award winning talk show- The Oprah Winfrey Show. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century and the most influencial woman on earth.

She has been nominated for 53 awards, including an Oscar and has won 40.

Her Life

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on the  29 of January, 1954 in Mississippi USA. Oprah was born to a poor teenage-single mother called Vernita Lee and she suffered in abject poverty. After Oprah's birth, her mother traveled north and Winfrey spent her first six years living in rural poverty with her maternal grand mother , Hattie Mae Presley Lee, who was so poor that Oprah wore dresses made of potato sacks for which other children made fun of her. She was taught to read and recite bible passages at an early age and was often called "the preacher".

At age six, Oprah moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her mother who was a maid and did not spend much time with Oprah because of her long hours at work.

Later on in life Oprah revealed that she was molested at age nine by a cousin and family friend. She got pregnant at fourteen but the child died in infancy.

Oprah was sent to live with a barber whom she refers to as her father in Tennessee and continued high school. She landed a job in radio and began co-anchoring the local evening news at the age of nineteen. And from there on she had not looked back but has continued to soar to even greater heights.

Qoutes from Oprah Winfrey

• Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.

• My philosophy is that doing your best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.

•Whatever your dreams, ideas or rejects, we plant a seed, nurture it- then reap the fruits of our labours.

• Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.

• The essential question is not," how busy are you?" But, "are you busy at?" "Are you doing what fulfills you?"

Did you know?

That Oprah was named after the Biblical character "Orpah" in the Book of Ruth, but was mispronounced by people as Oprah and it stuck?

Life Lessons

1. Your background does not determine your future and you can be whatever you want to be in life as long as you work hard and well to achieve your goals.

2. No dream is too big for a person to dream.

3. Be the best you can be, no matter how little you think your efforts are today, it might be an inspiration to someone tomorrow.

Thank you for reading, have a lovely Sunday.

Source

Wikipedia

IMDb

Happy new year

Happy new year to you all. I hope this year to be amazing and wonderful for you. A happy year to share with friends and family. A magical year to show love to people and a blissful year for us all to grow in love, strength and peace.

Thank you all for 2014 and God bless you for 2015. Big kisses, stay happy.

The Eleventh Hour( Procrastination)

Most times, it's good to look beyond what is in front of us and do what we ought to do now, rather than wait until it chokes us before we try to cough it out. Using wisdom is an integral part of a persons life if they want to be successful, they do not always have to be told what to do before they do it and early preparation helps a person to be focused and well prepared for unforeseen circumstances.
Although most times, things happen beyond our control and we find ourselves in very tight corners not knowing what to do. That, is not your fault as you had no control over what happened. But what about the times we knew that we had to do something now, but we relax and decide to save it for later. We develop an attitude of procrastination and decide to work only when the dealine is staring us right in the face and we got no other option than to work.
Procrastination is a disease that not only makes your work less than it ought to be, but something that diastabilizes you and makes you miss amazing opportunities. Nowadays, I find out that students do not pick up their books until its time for a test or examination. They hurriedly read through an entire terms work in one night and expect to get the same grade as someone who has been studing for months. Most times they fall ill and are not able to write the exam, thereby failing and missing out on what should have been achieved.

Life is all about preparation, plan and hardwork. A person who prepares now for the future has better chances of making it in life than one who waits until the time is near before acting. Below are a few reasons why we should all plan ahead and not wait for the eleventh hour before we act:

• Focus
A person that plans ahead has focus and knows where he is going.  He has his mind set on a goal and is working towards achieving that goal. Though there might be distractions on the way, he knows what is in stock and do not let anything come between him and his dreams.

•Confidence
For a person to be confident about something, you know that he is sure of himself and what he has brought to the table. He has worked hard on a topic and covered all that needs to be covered so the confidence he exudes will be far greater than that of a person who started preparing "minutes or hours" to the time of presentation.

•Ahead of the game
A person with more knowledge and better preparation will surely be ahead of his peers. It's a fact. The farmer who has laboured day and night on his field will surely have a better looking farm and crops than one who slept throughout the planting season and is waiting for near harvest time to check on his crops. And will surely know more about the weather and crops and pest that needs to be taken care of before harvest, thereby having a more bountiful harvest than the lazy one. That is if he even has anything to show forth.

• Achievers
Peolpe who prepare early have a better chance of succeeding. Their hard work, determination and zeal go before them and speak for them and success is certainly their portion as they reach out to grab it.

So, what is that thing you have been leaving for the eleventh hour to do?Get up and do it now. It won't take anything from you, rather it will give you satisfaction, rest and time to think about other important things rather than worrying yourself over something that should have been done.
I know that some of us might say that we just don't have the strength for it now and that we'll do it later, but I want you to know that the strenght won't come if you don't get up from where you are and make a move. Just try it see what's in stock for those who work now instead of procrastinating.

Thank you for reading. God bless.

Just be Yourself

Often, I wonder what is means to just be yourself. People always say that, but what does it really entail? If you are going for an interview, they say relax and just be yourself, going to meet his parents for the first time, relax and just be yourself, going on a first date or joining a group, school, work etc, they say just be yourself. It has been used too many a time that it has become a cliche. So today,  I would like to share with you, my perception on being yourself or rather, myself.
One thing i have learned over the years, is that people would always complain about any and everything you do. Its natural. You cannot be loved by everybody no matter how much you try, and also, everyone cannot hate you, no matter how bad you might seem. So when asked to be yourself, endeavour to show the stuff you are made of, the way God created you. Due to circumstances of life, we tend to develop certain characteristics that may not go down well with other individuals, we tend to hide behind unseemly behaviors and act out on others in other to protect ourselves, but with time, these becomes part of our weaknesses and we realize that it not only brings us down and dampens our mood, but also everyone that comes in contact with us. We all have issues and the best we can do for us, is to work on those issues(weaknesses) and turn them into strengths, learning from our mistakes and becoming positive individuals that impacts positively into any person we come across.But when trying to be strong, please try to be as humble as you can be, remember pride goes before a fall.

Knowing your temperament also helps in being yourself. Realize what you are and what you are not, distinguish yourself from others and do not try to copy or be like someone else. A photocopy my dear will never be like the original, they might look alike, but a fake is a fake and people would see through you. God has created every individual beautiful and wonderful, with their own golden attributes that is unique, so instead of trying hard to copy someone's uniqueness, why don't you work on, develop yourself and be an inspiration to others.

An introvert should not try to be like the extrovert, because you are simply not. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being an introvert and people actually admire you, although it might not seem so, but they do. All you have to do is work on your shyness because most introverts are shy( do not let it become a weakness). I know because I am an introvert. I prefer being quite and observant, rather than talk nonstop. Its natural for me but that does not mean I'm shy or boring, i can strike up an interesting conversation and actually discuss for a long period of time, but this does not happen often.

To the extrovert, please  be the active talker and lively person that you are, the world actually needs you to be happy and filled with laughter, but always remember to know your limit and do not over talk or you might end up saying things that are inappropriate or offensive unintentionally.

At the end of the day, I think being yourself, is being the way God has created you to be, knowing your temperament and working with it.  Using your strenght to positively affect the society and acknowledging your weakness and working on it to live a healthy and happy life. Not giving in to peer pressure, and doing what is right in God's eye even when everyone around you thinks otherwise.

Thank you for reading, I love you.

Female qoute of the day

I guess at the end of the day, all women like to be appreciated and treated with respect and kindness.

Sofia Vergara

Healthy Living ( Iron up)

Women need iron for their bodies to function properly and so are expected to eat foods rich in iron, especially women that are pre- menopausal because of our monthly circle. Regular intake of iron helps in regulating cells and allows for good health. And defiency in iron leads to poor body function, weak immune system and fatigue.
The recommended daily intake of iron for women is 18 milligrams while for pregnant women, is 27 milligrams ( because of the growing embryo).
Foods rich in iron are: meat, cereal, beans.

Bible passage of the day

She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31:20

Mother Teresa ( A woman of virtue)

Mother Teresa was  a nun who dedicated her entire life to helping and serving the poor and homeless. Most of her years  was spent in Calcutta, India where she founded the Missionaries of charity, a congregation devoted to helping people in need.
Did you know that Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel peace prize  in 1979 and she asked that the money she got from the prize be given to the poor? Not surprising right?
Well she was a living saint or as some would say an angel that showed love to people who did not have love from others and that has made her a symbol of  charitable selfless work.
Mother Teresa through her selfless charity should be a  great example for all women to give love no matter how small it may seem.

Qoutes from Mother Teresa

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in doing.
It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in giving.

Not all of us  can do great things,
But we can do small things  with great love.


Source-    Biography online